World of Disney 3
by RetroWriter2012
Summary: In this sequel to "World of Disney" and "The Marvelous World: World of Disney 2," the Sphere appears in the Star Wars universe and is discovered by the Galactic Empire, who intend to use its key to the Disneyverse to expand on their domination. Only Adrienne, a Guardian of the Disneyverse and resident of the Star Wars galaxy, can foil their sinister plot and save her other home.
1. Prologue

**Prologue: A Long Time Ago…**

**Muppet Theater – 1982**

_Oh, I'm never gonna be the same again,  
>Now I've seen the way it's got to end,<br>Sweet dream, sweet dream._

_Strange Magic,  
>Oh, what a strange magic,<br>Oh, it's a strange magic.  
>Got a strange magic,<br>Got a strange magic._

Not even the soothing tune of the Electric Light Orchestra could bring ease to Tomas's unsteady card-playing hand. He accepted the invite to a Friday night game from his mother-in-law, Diana Navarro. Kermit, Fozzie, Gonzo, Scooter, Bunsen, Beaker, Animal, and Rizzo had joined in. All of them sat around a makeshift poker table on an empty stage with the Boombox nearby to play all the tunes from KMUP Radio, the hottest station in the Los Angeles area.

Bunsen and Beaker had been winning every hand in the game, upsetting the other players and arousing suspicion in them.

Kermit was the only courageous one to confront them on the matter. "Hey, uh, you guys wouldn't happen to be using any 'technical help,' would you? You _are _the smartest people at the table."

"Call it like it is, Kermit!" Rizzo angrily exclaimed. "Dese two are cheatin'! Dey're usin' some of dat new tech dey've got runnin' around down dere in deir lab!"

Bunsen and Beaker simultaneously gasped over the rat's accusation.

"Beaker and I one hundred percent assure you all that we are using neither brains nor tech." Beaker meeped in support of Bunsen's claim. "We're simply blessed by Lady Luck."

"Oh, baloney." Rizzo muttered.

Diana refrained from busting with laughter over the behavior among the other players, biting her lower lip. Her eyes shifted over to Tomas, who sat to her left at the table, and she could see how stressed the young man was by his grimacing face and shaky hands. She had hoped the card game would be somewhat of a reliever for him, which was the reason why she invited him to play.

He turned to her and asked, "Where has Joanie been these last fourteen hours?" His African accent was as thick as Joanie always said it was, being one of the many traits she loved him for.

Diana smiled. "Where else _would_ she be?"

Tomas nodded understandingly, catching on to what she had alluded to. "I must profess the moment I discovered my wife's secret life that things would be more fun. Unfortunately, as of late, it seems she has spent less time with me…on purpose."

"Tomas, why on earth would you think Joanie would deliberately try to avoid you?" Diana questioned. "She's always been crazy about you, ever since you two met in Africa five years ago."

"I know it does not make sense. I am still trying to comprehend it myself. But I just believe she is hiding something from me. I do not want to think the worse, but…could she be…?"

Diana slammed her cards down on the table, inadvertently interrupting the heated debate among the Muppets and directing their attention to her and Tomas. She pointed a stern finger to the young man and said, "Now you listen to me. My daughter loves one man and one man _only_ – and that's _you_. Why else would she trust you with all that she told you about our little adventure in 1977? Who else _other than you_ would she share that with? She wouldn't have told you, unless she knew for a fact she would spend the rest of her life with you."

Tomas nodded. He appeared only slightly assured upon refocusing on the card game. The Muppets also rejoined the game, ceasing their bickering.

Seeing the uncertainty still in Tomas's demeanor, Diana sighed in desperation. She was genuinely worried for her son-in-law. She internally questioned herself what her daughter had been up to for such a lengthy period of time. To hurt Tomas like this only made Diana incredibly disappointed in her.

"_I'm here!_"

The singsong announcement came from stage right, which was where a young, attractive blonde with a Farah Fawcett-style hairdo – donned in a tight peach-colored _Studio 54_ t-shirt, bellbottom blue jeans, and sandals – made her entrance.

Most everyone at the table greeted the blonde in a drone manner. "Hello, Ashley."

She approached the poker players, particularly Diana, with her oversized pink handbag. She bent over and wrapped her arms around Diana's neck from behind, delivering the warmest of rear hugs. Diana turned her head slightly and gave her niece a kiss on the cheek; she was presumably the only one who expressed any happiness in seeing her.

"How was shopping with Miss Piggy, sweetie?" Diana asked.

Ashley had a look of disgust. "I swear. That pig is one serious diva. I couldn't get her to make up her mind on _anything_ in that store." She snickered and added, "Not that anything would _fit_ her."

"Yeah, just don't let Piggy hear you say that." Kermit cautioned.

"Oh, lighten up, Kermit." Ashley remarked. "She's not gonna be here for the next couple of weeks, which gives me to leeway to say whatever I want about the hog." Her sparkling blue eyes moved from the frog to the handsome African prince in the purple muscle shirt, black jeans, and boots. "Why, hello there, Tomas." There was a great deal of seductiveness in her address. "Didn't see ya there."

Tomas barely acknowledged her, his mind elsewhere. "Y-Yes. Hello, Ashley."

She left Diana's side and switched over to Tomas. Her hips swung alluringly as she walked right up from behind him and proceeded in massaging his broad, toned dark brown shoulders – her delicate pinkish hands a stark contrast to them.

The action did not go unnoticed by the others, who looked away from their cards and to Ashley's hands on Tomas's shoulders. It had been obvious, ever since Ashley started living at the theater, how much of a crush she had on Tomas, despite the fact that he was a married man.

"Ooh, Tomas." The tone in her voice increased in its seductiveness. "You're awfully so tense. Something wrong?"

Ashley's massaging, although welcoming, felt like more of a weight on his shoulders. "I am fine, Ashley. Thank you for asking."

"It's no prob. I just hate to know that such a _strong_ guy like you is feeling so weak." Her hands moved much further down, touching his toned pectorals that popped through his shirt.

And that was where Diana had to draw the line: "Ashley. Behave yourself."

Ashley glanced at her aunt, noting the strict look in her face. It was enough to urge her in taking her hands off of Tomas, who began to feel comfortable again as soon as she did.

"So where is my lil' cousin anyway?" She coldly inquired.

It was almost _too_ quiet at the table before Kermit answered, "She's still out."

Ashley mockingly snickered. "Typical. She's never around when anyone needs her to be." She gestured to Tomas with disgust. "And to leave her poor husband all alone here, worried to death about her, waiting to know when she'll be back… or if she'll _ever_ come back?"

Tomas squirmed in his chair, his discomfort returning.

Seeing the affect Ashley's words had on him, Diana firmly told her niece, "That's _enough_, Ashley!"

"Oh, Auntie, I'm just only looking out for Tomas." She wrapped her arms around him, resting her chin on his head and letting the curls from his slightly puffed black hair tickle her skin. "Tomas, honey? If you need anything, I'll be there for you."

It became too much for Tomas to bear. Growing increasingly agitated, he set his cards down, pulled himself away from Ashley, and stood up. "Excuse me," he said in a whisper, making his departure from the poker table and through stage right. His head was hung low, clearly reflecting his despondent attitude.

Watching him leave in such a huff, Ashley felt a bit guilty. The poor guy really was hurting, she realized.

"Ashley!" Diana angrily exclaimed, directing her niece's attention back on her. "What the devil has gotten into you? Speaking that way to Tomas! Couldn't you see he was scared?"

"Look, I'm sorry, Auntie. Really, I am." Ashley admitted. "But half of what I said was the truth. Where _does_ Joanie go? I don't ever see her half of the day. And most nights when I do, she's either in bed or still out of the theater."

"Yeah, I've gotta admit myself that somethin's pretty fishy about dat girl." Rizzo acknowledged Ashley's sentiments. "Like, dis one time, she'd promised tah help but didn't even show up!"

"What did she promise to help you with?" Scooter asked.

"Only dah most important thing in my whole life: raiding the mousetraps." The rat's response was met with collective groans. "Hey, a rat's gotta eat, amirite?"

"Seriously, Aunt Dye," Ashley said, "_where_ is she?"

Diana shared an awkward glance with the other Muppets. All of them knew the truth about Joanie's random disappearances. Rizzo would have known himself, if the version of him that went through their adventure back in 1977 were not from 2010. This Rizzo, who only just recently moved into the theater with his family, was just as much in the dark as Ashley, making matters more complicated for Diana and the other Muppets.

Enough silence had passed to arouse even more suspicion between Rizzo and Ashley. Realizing this, Gonzo blurted out, "She's taking skydiving lessons!"

It clearly was not the cover-up they needed, determining from the way in which Diana, Kermit, Fozzie, Scooter, Bunsen, and Beaker all rested their faces upon their palms in aggravation.

Ashley's hands irately went to her hips, her pink handbag sliding down her arm and dangling on her wrist. "Fine. Don't tell us. One way or another, we're gonna get to the bottom of this mystery."

"Yeah. Dah _both_ of us." Rizzo shared in her declaration, standing uncomfortably close to her hip, which he practically clung himself to. "Ain't dat right, light-of-my-life?"

Ashley revoltingly stared down at the rat. "Get…off…of me."

Rizzo was quick to please the woman he obviously had a crush of his own on. "Sure thing, cheesecake."

"Ashley, honestly, everything's fine." Diana calmly assured. "It's nothing worth turning into an episode of _The Rockford Files_. Joanie is just a very busy woman, that's all."

Unfortunately, her niece persisted to be unconvinced.

* * *

><p>Ashley's words cut like a knife to Tomas's confidence. He feverishly paced around the backstage area for a few minutes before deciding to sit down on the foot of the staircase that led to the upstairs dressing rooms. The thought of Joanie being somewhere in that "Disneyverse," as she called it, and presumably in one world with a handsome prince…it tied his stomach in knots. He did not want to think that way; he knew Diana was right about the way Joanie felt about him. Yet there was still that nasty, lingering sensation – undoubtedly influenced by Ashley.<p>

Suddenly, the stage door nearby flew open, letting the chilly night air circulate into the warm interior. A figure hastily emerged from outside and shut the door behind it. Tomas immediately stood up once he saw that this visitor had blue hair – Joanie's color. Sure enough, the visitor was his wife. She looked completely disheveled with her long blue hair ruffled, her red robe tattered, and her sorcerer hat covered in dirt and grime. She was out of breath, her focus on the old, creaky floorboards beneath her. It was evident that she had been involved in some sort of hard labor or altercation, but she was otherwise unscathed.

"Joanie!" Tomas caught her attention the moment he excitedly shouted her name and made his presence in the room known.

The second she caught sight of him, she instantly rushed towards him and gave one of the warmest, tightest hugs Tomas had ever received. "Tomas! Oh, man! Please tell me that I haven't been gone for over a month!"

"Just fourteen hours, darling." She was cold to the touch and carried the scent of smoke in her clothes and hair. "_Where_ have you been? And what has happened to you?"

Joanie disengaged her embrace and just stared long and hard at her husband's loving, gorgeous face. It was certainly a sight for sore eyes, especially for a woman who had been away from home as long as she had. Without notice, she locked her lips with his, kissing him in a way that was so passionate to Tomas he could certainly tell she had been through much.

It reached a point where he could barely breathe and had to force himself away. "Joanie! What is the matter?"

She took a moment to catch her own breath. "I'm sorry. It's just—"

The second she began to explain herself, another figure emerged through the stage door; this one being a tall, attractive redhead in a green mini-skirted dress, a black leather jacket, black leggings, and black boots. "Sorry, but I can_not_ stay out there for another minute. I may not be able to freeze as quickly as the average person anymore, but I know just when I _am_ freezing my butt off," she said upon entering. She had a very powerful voice that was as charismatic as her appearance.

Tomas stared quizzically at the redhead, who smiled back at him as she tried to warm up her hands. "Joanie, who is this?"

The redhead approached him, staring at his face with great interest. "Oh, dude. This is so tight. I've never seen you so young." She nodded to Joanie and added, "She was right. We _do_ look a lot alike. Almost like looking into a mirror."

Her words greatly confused Tomas. He glanced up and down at her. She was the total opposite of him – Caucasian, older (presumably in her mid-forties), blue-eyed, and (most notable of all) _female_. The only real similarity they had between them was that she stood close to his height of six-foot, two-inches; his nose at level with her forehead. Other than that, he had no clue what she meant in them bearing any resemblance to each other.

Joanie struggled with an explanation in the identity of her redheaded companion, especially after what she told Tomas. "I-It's difficult to explain, babe. S-She's…"

"There you are, lil' twerp!"

She looked to the source of the interruption and found her least-favorite person in the world, her only cousin, entering the room with her mother and the Muppets that were present at the theater that evening. No doubt they all heard the commotion from the stage area and checked to see what was up.

"Oh, brother." Joanie muttered in annoyance. It was less than pleasing for her to see Ashley, especially now of all times. "Look, Ashley. I _really_ don't have time for your foolishness right now."

Ashley snickered. "You don't seem to have time for much of anything these days." She took notice in her blue-haired cousin's disheveled and even more baffling appearance. "The blue hair was horrid enough – now you're going with a homeless wizard?"

Joanie's redheaded companion shook her head over Ashley and her remarks. "You always were the biggest loudmouth of the family. Was there _ever_ a time when you showed my mother the respect she deserved?"

Ashley gazed sharply at the woman. "Who are _you_ to talk to me like—" She stopped cold once she realized the way in which the redhead referred to Joanie. "Your _mother_?"

That one word stuck out like a sore thumb to everyone else – except Joanie.

"Your _mother_?" The others repeated in the same register of confusion.

Joanie hid her face behind her left hand in embarrassment and exasperation.

"Joanie, you're supposed to have only _four_ children, three girls and a boy." Scooter indicated from his memory of the incident from 1977.

His reference only attracted _more_ confusion from Ashley and Rizzo with his inclusion of "supposed to."

"I still do have four children, Scooter…or, I mean, I _will_ have them." Joanie addressed. "It's just…well… only one has had a bit of an identity crisis." She gestured to her redheaded companion and said, "Everybody meet Vanessa…who is in reality a reincarnation of my future son, Sean Thomas."

Vanessa held up two fingers (a peace sign) sideways to the group with a friendly smile, oblivious to the odd stares they all had given her. "What up!"

Diana, Tomas, Kermit, Fozzie, Gonzo, Scooter, Bunsen, and Beaker were in shock from discovering who Vanessa really was. It suddenly began to make sense to Tomas what Vanessa had said the second she looked at him.

He approached the smiling redhead and stood close enough to look deeply into her eyes, as if searching for the actual person behind them. "This…is my son?"

Vanessa shrugged and uttered, "So to speak."

Observing the entire scene with Ashley (his fellow outsider), Rizzo bellowed with frustration, "Alright! What in dah _heck_ is goin' on here?"

Joanie despairingly sighed. Her cousin and the Muppet rat had been exposed enough as it was to the secret she, her mother, and the other Muppets had been so desperately trying to keep from them and most everyone else at the theater.

"O.K. It's time you two knew the whole story about the world of Disney we discovered back in '77." She glanced over to Vanessa, again letting out a deep, exhausted sigh. "And for everyone else to know the _new_ story that has developed recently."


	2. Chapter One

**Chapter One: Unbridled Opportunity**

**The "Star Wars" Universe – Many Eons Earlier**

"Look, I'm tellin' you guys – _really_ tellin' you – I'm innocent! No, seriously! You've caught the _real_ criminal, and she's standing right over there!"

Adrienne rolled her eyes in disgust from Chrissy selling her out to the Stormtroopers. The white-armored cannon fodder of the Empire escorted both women down the detention center corridor on board the Death Star. Apparently, they were not considered much of a threat, with only two Stormtroopers working as escorts. Neither of them clearly had any interest in listening to Chrissy – evident from their lack of response.

They finally stopped upon the door of one holding cell that one of the Troopers opened from the control panel to the right of the frame. Chrissy was shoved inside, while Adrienne remained outside with the Troopers. Chrissy made one final attempt to plead to the Stormtroopers, but she was quickly shut off by the sealing of the holding cell door.

She could not believe the trouble she was in due to the so-called "Guardian," who claimed her intention to lead her to the answers to her condition by a strange man named Yen Sid. Of course, in order for them to reach Yen Sid, they had to be captured by the Imperials – a plan Chrissy had yet to see the real purpose in, even as she stood within the confines of a bleak, four-walled room…which she was evidently not alone in.

Standing across from her in the holding cell were two other women. One was a short, barefooted young blonde wearing a black sleeveless top and tight leather pants. The other was a slightly taller redhead in a green mini-skirted dress, a black leather jacket, black leggings, and black boots.

The blonde sat lotus style on the only "bed" in the cell – a long, thick rectangular block protruding from the wall adjacent to the sealed door. Her eyes were shut, and she appeared to be in a meditative state. Of course, the most striking feature about her was the bareness of her feet. Chrissy glanced around to see if there were any signs of her footwear, only to discover there were not any. Did the Stormtroopers confiscate them? Did she have some sort of weapon concealed in them?

Whereas the blonde appeared disinterested in Chrissy, the redhead carried a completely different attitude towards her. She approached with her right fist raised up to Chrissy and a warm smile on her attractive face. She was noticeably tall, slightly towering over Chrissy.

"What up, sistah!" Her vernacular was strange to Chrissy – it was certainly not of any world she had ever visited in her time as a _Star Tours_ engineer. "Welcome to imprisonment! Name's Penz!"

"_I'm_ Penz." The blonde corrected her. "You're Vanessa."

The tall redhead giggled in embarrassment. "Right. My bad. Still getting used to the name."

Chrissy gave a quizzical look to the middle-aged woman. "_Still getting used to_? Is it some type of alias? Are you hiding from the Empire?"

"We are _not_ hiding." Penz retorted, not once reopening her eyes to directly address those she spoke to. "Our names are strictly confidential."

"O…kay?" Chrissy awkwardly acknowledged. "So how did _you two_ get caught? Did you do it on purpose, too?"

Vanessa was anticipated to share. "Actually we—"

"It's confidential." Penz snapped.

All of the energy seemed to have been sucked right out of Vanessa from the prohibition set by her young blonde companion. She sighed in disappointment. "What she said. Sorry. I guess she's right. It's a shame, too, because I love _sharing_ things…especially with a fellow redhead." She included that last part with a smile and an elbow nudge to Chrissy.

Chrissy, on the other hand, was overwhelmed by Vanessa's recognition of her one most notable physical trait.

Seeing the surprise on Chrissy's face, Vanessa asked with concern, "Did I say something wrong?"

Chrissy shook her head, a smile manifesting on her face and a tear falling from her left eye. "No, no. It's just…you're the second person today to see my _real_ face. I think I'm starting to become my old self again."

Although Vanessa was not quite sure what Chrissy meant by that, it intrigued her nonetheless. "Well, who else would you be if not yourself?"

Chrissy opened her mouth, on the verge of sharing. But she stopped as soon as she caught sight of Penz, who – for the first time since she was thrown into the cell – opened her eyes, exposing their glittering blue hue, and gazed in her direction with interest. At the last second, Chrissy changed her mind and said with a sly grin, "Sorry. It's confidential."

Vanessa immediately caught on to what Chrissy was doing and chuckled (with a snort) in amusement. "Oh, snap! She checked you, Penz!"

Penz grinned, also amused by the zing. "I can tell we're going to get along awesomely."

The atmosphere in that holding cell seemed to have livened pretty fast with the jesting among the three women, each of them sharing in a laugh. Unfortunately, as rapidly as the mood shifted positively, it had negatively with the sudden opening of the holding cell door.

A pair of Stormtroopers, possibly the same ones that escorted Chrissy, carried a bloodied, battered Adrienne in the corridor. Large blood stains partially ran over the collar of her blue silk sweater, as well as her bare, pale shoulders. The ruin looked like it was caused by someone who had slit her throat, yet there were no gaping wounds on her neck. Her face, however, displayed deep cuts and bruises over her left eye, the right corner of her lip, and left cheek.

Her legs were immobile, allowing her feet to drag loudly across the grated floor. Once the Troopers were at the threshold of the holding cell, they crudely hurled her limp, nearly-broken body right inside the cell. She hit the cold, hard floor face-first with a sickening thud at the feet of Chrissy and Vanessa, the latter of whom gasped at the sight of her.

It was enough to bring out a fury in the tall redhead that she verbally unleashed on the visiting Troopers. "Damn you slimy buttholes! You're gonna get yours! Just wait and see!"

Neither of the Stormtroopers listened on their departure from the cell. Soon, all that Vanessa had cursed was the door, which slid shut once more. She was only left with the task of helping Adrienne off the floor, an act that Adrienne herself made a weak attempt in, only with little success.

When she detected Vanessa's helping hands coming near her, she furiously demanded, "_Don't touch me!_" Blood oozed from her mouth and created a small puddle on the floor. Vanessa hesitantly complied with her request, forced to watch along with Chrissy and Penz as Adrienne slowly and pitifully peeled herself off the floor. She favored the left side of her torso, showing signs of broken ribs. She only managed to get up halfway before falling again, her body smacking against the wall; she opted to let herself slump there.

Even though Chrissy felt for the battered woman, she could not ignore the fact that she got herself in this mess. "How's your plan working out so far?" She did not hold back on the sarcasm.

Adrienne glared at her with the one good eye she had at the moment. "Watch yourself, girl," she groggily cautioned. "Don't think I can't still kick your butt in this state." Once she had a second to catch her breath, she continued: "The Empire's taken some great interest in me, because of what I know of their new discovery. They tried to kill me several times by several methods of torture, including beheading me."

"Beheading?" Chrissy exclaimed, finding that one bit of detail hard to believe. "But…your head's still perfectly attached!"

Pointing to her head with a shaky, broken finger, Adrienne said, "This is a new one I _grew_. My old one's somewhere on this space station, decomposing, I'll bet."

Chrissy was alarmed and repulsed all at once by this new information she learned of the woman. She had seen a variety of species in the galaxy gathered together in her time at the _Star Tours_ spaceport, each of which possessed different traits absolute to their race. Adrienne's was one she just could not fathom.

"What matter of being are you to regrow limbs like a Trandoshan?"

Adrienne weakly simpered. "My regenerative qualities aren't what you should be focusing on, Ryder. In case you've forgotten from our first meeting at that bar, the Empire's in possession of the second-most dangerous thing in the galaxy."

"What's the first?" Vanessa queried.

Glaring up at her, Adrienne sneered, "Take a wild guess."

Chrissy figured right away what she had alluded to, and it brought an eerie chill over her body. "What in the name of the Force does the Empire have that could be as dangerous as their Death Star?"

Adrienne's response was grim: "Something that'll destroy countless worlds outside of this one."

* * *

><p>"What kind of creature can do what that one did? It is <em>inhuman<em>!"

Wilhuff Tarkin was visibly shaken upon entering the Death Star conference room. The unnatural scene he witnessed during the grueling torture session they put their newest prisoner – a female Jedi that possessed remarkable immortality – had placed a sense of fear in the typically fearless Grand Moff. All he could have done to calm his nerves was to sit at the far end of the conference table, pour a glass of water, and take sips in between slow, deep breaths.

It did not help much to see Darth Vader, who joined him in the room, appear so passive while standing near him. He had watched the same eerie scene but did not seem fazed whatsoever. Could he really have been hiding his reaction behind that black metal mask? Or was he simply that much undaunted?

His next words gave some insight to his real feelings on the matter: "Her regenerative power could be result of her connection to the Sphere." He then briskly added, "To destroy her would mean destroying it – and the Emperor would not be pleased to lose his new find."

"You're right." Tarkin acknowledged in the Sith Lord's foresight. He took one last sip of water and suggested, "A thorough inspection of that orbital machine _must_ be processed. We have to see where the connection between it and the Jedi is."

"I will lead the inspection in hope of appeasing the Emperor's interest. If there _is_ something inside that sphere worth reporting, then he will surely be the first to know."

* * *

><p>Having an Imperial shuttle prepped for him and a small inspecting team of Stormtroopers, Vader departed from the Death Star space station moments after he and Tarkin had authorized the inspection. The flight was fairly short, with the Sphere orbiting within close proximity of the Death Star; the tractor beam kept it from floating into the far reaches of space.<p>

It was the first time since the Empire discovered the mysterious geodesic machine that anyone had dared to step inside of it. There was a great deal of undiscovered information. Imperial scientists, technicians, and engineers had worked feverishly to determine its point of origin and functionality, yet there was not much that could be found from _outside_ the Sphere. Vader was the only one bold enough to lead in the expedition. The Stormtroopers that accompanied him varied on levels of anxiety, from high to low, uncertain of what awaited them inside the spherical machine.

The shuttle docked within an opening near the top of the Sphere's structure that was noticed during its discovery and enlarged to accommodate for shuttle landings – this one being the first.

Once inside of the Sphere, Vader and the Troopers passed through multiple corridors. The journey was long and tedious, close to an hour of winding around corners that led to nothing. Vader's patience wore thin, while the Stormtroopers' tension eased, relieved to find nothing out of the ordinary. That was until they crossed a large chrome-plated steel door that appeared to have been capable of parting open automatically. Unfortunately for Vader, there was not any power running through the Sphere to allow him and his team through this door.

Of course, Vader only needed one _true_ power from himself – the Force.

Reaching out with one gloved hand towards the door and channeling the dark side of the Force, Vader managed to part it completely open and grant him and the Troopers access. They moved into an enormous area that literally sparked with energy. It was shaped in the same manner of the geodesic structure it was contained in; its walls corresponded with the exterior. In the very center of the room was a large mechanism consisted of a glass cylinder that contained a spinning, floating mini version of the Sphere, glowing in a mixture of gold and rainbow colors – colors that Vader had seen before…when the corpse of the female Jedi regenerated.

It was clear to the Sith Lord that the mechanism was the Sphere's core generator. Somehow, it was the only portion of the structure that continued running without power – presumably because it _was_ the power source.

Vader spotted a control panel across a walkway that led straight to it. He turned to the Troopers, pointing to the control panel, and ordered them, "Look into the computer system and find the point of origin." Although he refused to admit it, Vader had no idea what he just ordered his men to do. Did this machine even have a computer? It should, he thought. What machine _does not_ have a computer?

The Troopers obliged to the Sith Lord's command and moved down the walkway while Vader remained near the entrance. Heading cautiously closer to the generator, the anxiety levels of the Stormtroopers had risen equally among them. Each one breathed heavily beneath the helmet, their eyes darting rapidly between the control panel and the mini-sphere that spun and floated in the large glass cylinder, seeming to increase in its speed as the Troopers grew closer.

When the Stormtroopers finally reached the panel, the complexity of the control scheme suddenly became apparent to them. Quietly, they began to assess their dilemma:

"Oh, no."

"This looks _impossible_ to figure out."

"Yeah. Who doesn't put labels on a control panel?"

"What should we do?"

"Something and something _real_ fast. Lord Vader's waiting on us."

"What if we pressed this button?"

"No!"

"Why not?"

"I have a bad feeling about that one."

"Then let's try this switch – unless you have a bad feeling about _it_ also."

"Be my guest. We certainly don't wanna seem inept in the eyes of Lord Vader."

With only slight hesitation, the Stormtrooper flipped the unlabeled switch, believing it to be what turned the questionably-existent computer on.

A loud whirring noise emitted all around the room.

Vader doubled over in pain from the deafening noise, which managed to pierce its way through his helmet.

Then…it stopped. All that remained was his labored, mechanical breathing.

His long-ravaged eyes looked up from beneath his helmet and through the optical lens. The HUD display built in them notified him of a new environment he was in, despite his awareness of the fact as he gazed all around him. No longer standing in the Sphere's generator room, Vader found himself inside of a dark cavern. The infrared in the lenses of his helmet provided vision necessary to move within the cavern until he identified the possible exit. Vader rushed for it, desiring to know what planet he had somehow been transported to.

What he anticipated to find answers in, Vader only found more questions. He emerged onto a black, rocky mountain region. Dark grey clouds loomed overhead, giving off quite a brooding atmosphere. The atmosphere felt familiar to him.

Mustafar.

The volcanic planet where he spent his final moments with what was left of his body, before it had been incurably damaged at the hands of Obi-Wan Kenobi.

No. This was not Mustafar.

The memory of the planet had been engraved in Vader's mind. Every detail of the lava-consumed land and the sky darkened by ash and smoke.

This world was somewhat different. The sky was black, but not by ash and smoke. No lava flowed through the rocky region. And then there was that massive, sinister presence he felt, as if the Force had warned him of impending danger.

His feelings had proven correct once he felt the ground beneath him violently quake, knocking him off balance. He soon noticed how the peak of the mountain _moved_, manifesting into a dark, winged beast of immeasurable size with glowing yellow eyes. Its towering form immensely dwarfed Vader's. He studied the demonic creature with much fascination, noting not only its wings, but its horns as well.

He then realized that the creature had taken notice in him, wickedly smiling in his direction. Now alarmed, Vader drew his lightsaber, standing in defense of the colossal creature as it reached out for him, its massive, clawed hand shadowing the Sith Lord.

Vader mightily swung his lightsaber.

The terrified shriek of a human being erupted, alerting Vader to the realization that he was no longer at the mercy of the giant, winged demon. He had returned to the generator room. His team of Stormtroopers stood before him – one of them decapitated by his lightsaber.

The remaining Troopers kept their distance from the Sith Lord, distressed from his sudden lashing out.

"What…happened?" The electronic augmentation of his voice did not do the genuine surprise of his tone much justice.

Only one of the Stormtroopers was brave enough to respond: "You'd disappeared, L-Lord Vader. You v-vanished right out of our sight for a long time."

From beneath his helmet, Vader smiled with immeasurable satisfaction.

Finally, he began to understand the prime functionality of this mechanical wonder.


	3. Chapter Two

**Chapter Two: A Rebel Yell**

Vanessa's striking blue eyes became a bloodshot mess from minutes of bawling them out. Chrissy had finished telling the story of the two daughters she lost to the Jedi purge years ago – two girls she met once and did not recognize her from the condition of her fluxed identity. It was the fact that Chrissy never even got to say goodbye to her girls that made Vanessa sob in a notably loud way that drove Adrienne nuts. She sat on the floor and against the wall beside Vanessa and Chrissy, completely healed of her wounds (although the blood still remained on her clothes); it was a place she suddenly found herself regretting to be in.

Loudly banging her head against the hard steel wall of their cell was all that could be done to drown out the sound of Vanessa's moaning and sniffling. "Please God. Let me die now. This time _for good_."

"What type of Jedi does that?"

Adrienne ceased the banging of her skull to the steel and glared towards Penz, who maintained her lotus style sitting on the bed with her eyes shut. "Does _what_?"

"Beg for death."

Adrienne frowned at the young blonde. "I'm sorry. Who the hell are _you_ again?"

"I'm what _you_ are…a prisoner of war." Penz remarked.

"I'm not fighting any war." Adrienne clarified with a snicker. "I'm a simple woman caught in the wrong place at the wrong time – and now I have to endure a sassy blonde and two blubbering redheads."

Wiping her nose with a purple silk handkerchief she pulled from the inside her jacket, the sniffling Vanessa looked defensively at Adrienne. "Well, excuse me for being so emotional!" She pointed to her wet, reddened eyes and added, "These are _angry_ tears! The Empire has taken so much from so many! Those were her _children_!"

"And you think I don't know that?" Adrienne furiously snapped. "What people have lost? What about what _I've_ lost?"

Chrissy noticed how visibly distraught this woman she met only hours ago was on the topic. The particular emphasis on herself was a major clue. "What have _you_ lost to the Empire, Adrienne?"

The self-proclaimed Guardian was speechless, only staring at Chrissy in a conspicuously browbeaten way. It was a definite change in demeanor from the otherwise overtly confident and grotesquely mysterious woman.

She almost seemed willing to share her story, until she and her fellow inmates heard movement from the only vent in the cell.

"Is there _somebody _in there?" Chrissy questioned.

Penz was curious enough herself to reopen her eyes and look to the vent, wondering just as the other women did.

The vent cover popped right off its hinges and fell towards the floor. Before it could hit, however, Adrienne reached out with her right arm and levitated the cover just an inch from the floor, successfully preventing it from clattering loud enough for the Troopers outside to hear. Still channeling her power, she gently and quietly set it down.

Looking to the opened vent, the four women saw a teenage boy with fair skin, blue eyes, and blue-black hair poking out his upper body from inside.

Adrienne directly recognized him. "Ezra! Where's the rest of the crew?"

"They're on the way." Ezra acknowledged. "Did you get the information you wanted?"

Adrienne shook her head negatively. "Still working on it. I've got to give Vader one last surprise visit before we leave."

Ezra clearly did not appreciate the idea of staying any longer on the battle station just to wait for Adrienne to make a move that would undoubtedly get them all killed. But he knew better than to argue with a woman with eyes as scary and intimidating as hers.

"Alright. Fine." He consented with a sigh. "But I should probably let you know that, when we snuck aboard, we discovered a new prisoner being personally escorted by the Empire to a remote location."

Adrienne's ears perked on this; her eyes mirroring the tension that overcame her entire body. "Describe him for me."

Ezra shrugged, following his description to the best of his recollection in the short time he got to look at the person in question: "It was an old bald man with a long gray beard and really intense eyes – _way_ more than yours."

The description was accurate enough for Adrienne to recognize.

Chrissy saw how her face had tightened into a fierce scowl. It was a terrifying sight to say the least but not as much as what happened next…

Adrienne's form vanished right out of thin air, leaving no trace of it behind. It happened so abruptly that it literally was a "blink and you'll miss it" moment to Chrissy, Vanessa, Penz, and Ezra – all of whom witnessed it in wide-eyed astonishment.

In her state of shock from the baffling display of power, Vanessa looked to Ezra and asked, "Did _you _know she could do that?"

"Not until just now." He replied.

* * *

><p>Tarkin sat in his usual place at the conference table and listened to Vader share his implausible experience within the Sphere during its first-ever inspection. What Vader told him was too hard to believe. The thought of the dark lord having been temporarily transported into a parallel world was downright preposterous in more than one way – and Tarkin did not hesitate in letting Vader know it.<p>

"What you speak of, Vader…it is _insane_."

"But, nonetheless, it _did_ happen. The Sphere contains extraordinary power beyond the capacity of anything in this galaxy. It has a strong connection to the Force as well. I felt its connection to _me_ before I was teleported away."

Tarkin scowled in thought. "I cannot fully bring myself to understand ancient religion such as the Force any more than I can with that machine we've uncovered. I prefer to let the mysteries of the galaxy remain exactly what they are."

"Took the words right outta my mouth, dude."

The Grand Moff jumped out of his chair once he heard the voice of a woman speak close to his left. He was alarmed to see that it was the female Jedi they attempted to kill multiple times earlier. She sat in the chair nearest to Tarkin's, her dirtied, knee-high, high-heeled brown boots resting on the smooth, reflective surface of the table, leaving traces of grime from the grunge-ridden soles.

She smirked at him. "_Alles klar, Herr Kommissar?_"

He had no idea what strange language she just addressed him in. All he cared for was to alert security of her presence, since Vader was evidently taking no action whatsoever. He impulsively reached for the built-in comlink on the table, his finger to the "call" button on the device.

"Troopers to the Conference Room immediately! We have an intrud..."

"Pause."

Tarkin froze in position the instant that Adrienne muttered the word, his finger still on the com-link button. Vader's body became rigid with surprise from this display of power the woman possessed; it was nothing he had ever seen any Jedi (or Sith) do before. Tarkin was legitimately still – his eyes not blinking, no part of his body twitching whatsoever, and not even breathing. Yet, he was still alive in some way that alluded Vader. His focus returned to Adrienne.

Adrienne grinned. "Don't look so afraid, Vader." She saw Vader's head cock to the left curiously, and her grin widened. "Yeah, despite your big, scary black breathing mask, I can see your scared little face." She pointed to her pale blue eyes that had a piercing, intimidating glare in them. "I'll admit that I'm not too fond of them – not since this reincarnation started. They tend to scare everyone that passes by, thinking I'm going to rip them a new one or something. But they have one of millions and millions of special qualities...like x-ray vision."

"What are you?" Vader delivered the question that Adrienne heard him and Tarkin ask the many times they attempted to kill her for what she knew about the Sphere.

His inquiry only offended her. "Oh, don't play dumb with me, you asthmatic ass! You've known for a long time _what_ I am. Our little torture session...your curiosity in the Sphere...it all clued me into what's _really_ going on here." She removed her feet from the table and stood up at her full five-foot-five-inch height (she looked like a small child compared to the towering half-man/half-machine character standing across the table). "You've had contact with a sorceress masquerading around the galaxy as something she's not...just like me. She goes by the name 'Dawn.' Ringin' a bell?"

Vader was silent for a long moment. After a couple of short minutes, he confessed, "I was approached by her during my first years as my master's apprentice. I was captivated by her astounding power...not only in the Force but...something else." His voice drifted as he reflected on these thoughts. It sounded to Adrienne as if he were caught in a trance.

And that scared her.

"She's more of a danger to you and the rest of the galaxy than the Sphere itself!"

"You know nothing of them. They are the final solution for the galaxy."

Adrienne gave an amused snicker. "You know what's so disturbing about what you just said? Your 'final solution' sounds an awful lot like that of a mini-mustached dude who thought the very same way the Emperor does...and both solutions lead to everyone _dying_ – there is _no_ victor!" She moved dangerously close to Vader, knowing that the intensity in her address to him could lead to assault at any second. Of course, knowing her capabilities, it would have been futile for him to make any sort of attack. "Wake up to what you're becoming, dammit!"

"And what _am_ I becoming?"

"I know things about your future that not even Yoda could've seen. It's not as clouded as he made it seem, not to a being like myself. Whether you choose to ditch the Sphere or not, it doesn't end well for you, man – believe me."

"_What_ do you know about me? What do you know of my future?" Vader's tone was defensive. He towered over Adrienne with fierce intimidation, forcing her to answer.

Adrienne bit her lower lip, choosing her words carefully. Events had already changed with the Sphere taking its place in this universe. Heaven only knew what else could from what she said next.

"I know you used to be a good man with a good soul – before it was corrupted by the Emperor." She noticed that his shoulders became broader and more tense. Clearly, it hit a sour spot in him. "I also know that you're supposed to be a father."

His shoulders loosened at this mention. Obviously, he was surprised by the accuracy of her knowledge. Yet that did not prevent him from going into denial and becoming even more defensive. "You know _nothing_ of me!" He barked.

"I know what it's like to have a face you weren't born with, seeing it as a constant reminder that you can no longer go back to the way things were."

Her tone had changed. It was more of sympathy than frustration with the Sith Lord, especially as she had seen her reflection in the lenses of his mask – the person looking back at her being someone she hardly recognized, despite the many years she had seen her.

That focus was taken away swiftly the moment she felt herself having difficulty in breathing. An invisible hand gripped her throat, squeezing tighter and tighter until her windpipe was totally shut. It did not take much to guess that the concealed attack on her breathing was caused by Vader, performing his infamous "Force Choke" on her.

Unfortunately for Vader, Adrienne's power was stronger.

Through her own sorcery, she managed to remove the unseen grip and save herself from yet another attempt at her execution. She gasped loudly, returning the air back into her lungs.

Vader dropped his right arm futilely.

Seeing the manner of his gesture, Adrienne grinned. "You've got that look on your face again."

The room fell silent as the two figures only stared to each other.

"Attention all troopers!" The sudden alert came from over the com-link that the frozen Tarkin still had the channel open. "The station has been infiltrated by a small group of rebels! Be on the alert and do not hesitate to fire on sight!"

Although it was meant to alert the Stormtroopers, it was a harsh reminder to Adrienne of how little time she had now with the entire station onto the _Ghost_ crew's presence and their freeing Chrissy, Vanessa, and Penz.

"Tell me!" She urgently demanded Vader. "Tell me where you're keeping Yen Sid!"

"Who is Yen Sid?" Vader uttered, genuinely confused.

Adrienne's eyes grew wide with realization. "It's the Emperor. _He's_ the one behind his imprisonment. He's sensed his presence in this world, hasn't he?"

Vader did not respond, and he did not have to. She realized he was nothing more than a dead end in discovering Yen Sid's whereabouts. As far as she was concerned, they were done there. Her form vanished and, shortly thereafter, Tarkin was unfrozen.

"…er! Repeat: troopers to the con—"

The Grand Moff stopped once he realized that the female Jedi was nowhere to be found in the conference room. It was more of a surprise to see the Stormtroopers he called for to storm right into the room, expecting to find the intruder they were warned about but only finding Tarkin and Vader.

"Where did she go?" Tarkin furiously questioned.

Vader remained voiceless, his breathing all that escaped out of him.

* * *

><p>When Hera Syndulla was told that her ship would be docked in one of the hangars to the Empire's new deadly battle station and left in waiting while a small rescue team led by Kanan Jarrus went to save a fellow Jedi and a stranger that was "important to their primary objective," she would have certainly objected to such a suicide mission. She hoped to not have been manipulated by some Jedi mind trick on Kanan's part, or else the both of them would have quite a long talk.<p>

The beautiful green Twi'lek pilot of the _Ghost_ starship intended to make the preparations to depart the dreadful Death Star on the second she spotted Kanan and the others with the rescued prisoners. For most of the time, Hera had to share the empty space of the ship with Chopper, who was more than impatient and frantic, beeping obscenities at Hera during the wait.

"Relax, Chopp, before you blow a gasket." She cautioned the astromech droid at one point.

Finally, from the cockpit window, she saw the rest of the crew rush into the hangar with the prisoners.

Wait! There's more than one? Who are those other two – the barefooted one and the tall one whose hair looks like it's made of fire, she wondered.

Hera did not bother to question it any further. This rescue/suicide mission was crazy enough as it was with the plan starting out by allowing the Death Star's tractor beam to pull _Ghost_ into the hangar. While Hera and Chopper hid in _Ghost's_ secret compartments, the others hid in crates while an inspection team searched the ship, which they projected to be a simple abandoned Corellian freighter. Once the crates were taken for inspection, the crew made their move – Ezra went through the ventilation system to find the prisoners and then gave the O.K. for Kanan, Zeb, and Sabine to attack and rescue.

The only one missing from the returning group was Adrienne.

"Where could she…?"

She heard Chopper whirring frantically, which had unintentionally directed her attention to the co-pilot's chair, discovering to her astonishment to see Adrienne sitting there.

"How did you get in?" Hera inquired. "I hadn't lowered the ramp yet!" By mentioning the task, she was reminded to do so as Kanan and the others neared the ship.

"Just take off the minute the others are on board, O.K.?" Adrienne punitively commanded.

Hera did not appreciate her tone, but she dared not to get into an altercation with the supposed Jedi in the middle of their escape. "Um, yeah. That's the plan as _I_ remember it," she quipped.

She looked to the cockpit window once more, noting the large team of Stormtroopers storming into the hangar and opening fire on the ship. She allowed them to get just a few shots, knowing none of them would make even a dent with those abysmal shooting skills, and then punched it.

_Ghost_ roared into takeoff, speeding backwards out of the hangar and turning itself around to fly into the vastness of space. Hera had hoped that they would not get caught in a tractor beam during flight. Of course, it seemed that most of the station's beam energy was dedicated to tethering the gigantic, spherical machine they passed on their escape.

Hera recognized it as the one that Adrienne spoke so much about, prior to their mission.

"What's so special about that thing anyway?"

Adrienne's eyes made no acknowledgment to the object of Hera's curiosity. "Nothing. Absolutely nothing."


	4. Chapter Three

**Chapter Three: Lost in Transit**

**Four Years Later**

Nine months pregnant – check. Barefoot on intensely hot sand – check. Sweating profusely – check. Figured out how you ended up in a desert wasteland with two suns – _still pending_.

Her blistered bare feet kicking up sand and one hand on her protruded, bouncing belly, Christina Thomas did not have that much time to determine how she wound up in the mess she had currently found herself in. Not too far behind her was a pack of Tusken Raiders, otherwise known as "Sand People." How she was able to identify these grotesque-looking creatures was thanks to having a husband who insisted on watching _Star Wars_ almost every movie night.

They held their spears high in their pursuit of the young pregnant woman.

Christina's mind raced over the multiple possibilities of her predicament. Only mere minutes earlier, she was in the Muppet Theater, worrying over the whereabouts of her husband and questioning the story shared with her by Victoria and Genevieve – two women who proved they could no longer be trusted in her eyes.

_Wait! That's it!_

Upon having her realization, she tripped on her legs and tumbled down a large sand dune. The Sand People followed her tumbling body down to the base of the dune. As soon as it stopped, they momentarily had as well and began slowly advancing on her. Christina saw them closing in and attempted to get back on her feet, yet she struggled with the extra weight she carried and the exhaustion that overtook her. She could get no further than turning from her side to her back.

It was no use. She and her baby were going to die at the hands of a group of aliens she never in her life imagined she would face.

"Sorry, kiddo," she whispered to her unborn child, one hand rested on her bump.

Just when the Sand People were a few feet from her, something rocketed down from the sky and hit the dune. It literally exploded from the impact, a massive sand cloud gathering around Christina and the Tusken Raiders and blinding them.

Clearing her eyes from bits of sand, Christina attempted to see what was happening, only managing to catch the Sand People being attacked themselves by a muscular figure who punched down three.

Another figure, one donned in a hood and cloak, entered the skirmish with an orange lightsaber – its glow lost in the sand cloud that its color meshed with. The remaining Tusken Raiders were slashed down with ease from the lightsaber-wielding, hooded figure.

Once the two combatants had successfully defeated their opponents, the hooded figure turned in Christina's direction. Showing a display of lightning-fast quickness and incredible strength, the hooded stranger picked Christina up from the ground, carrying her out of the sand cloud and into fresher air.

Able to see much clearer, Christina gazed at her rescuer. First thing she noticed was how her body – exposed from beneath the opened cloak – had the shape of a toned, slender woman. In addition to the beige cloak, the mysterious female was donned in a blue silk sweater that hung off her slimmed frame and exposed her pale shoulders, a maroon miniskirt with skinny jeans worn underneath, a gun belt with two holsters carrying blasters and lightsaber hilts, and knee-high, high-heeled brown boots that were riddled with sand at their rubber soles. Her face was obscured by round pilot's goggles and a reddish-orange scarf, although Christina could manage to make out hints of brown hair poking from underneath the hood.

"How far along are you?" The woman suddenly asked while carefully setting Christina back down. She followed up with various pregnancy-related questions that Christina tried to answer but could not, due to the rapid way in which they were given.

She could only manage to yell out, "I'm not giving birth _this minute_!"

The mysterious woman appeared to calm down and ceased in her inquiries.

Within a matter of seconds, they were joined by Christina's other rescuer. This one she was amazed to have recognized and see up close in the flesh there on the alien _Star Wars_ planet.

"Hercules?"

Sure enough, it was him – the one of Disney fame. His tall, muscular body glistened beneath the two suns, only not from sweat (there was not an ounce seeping from him) but something more _godlike_.

"Are you O.K., ma'am?" He asked Christina.

Christina, nearly speechless at the sight of Hercules, confirmed to the Greek legend, "I…I am." She could not stop staring at him with such starry eyes. His appearance was practically entrancing. The world around her seemed to have slowed down in the few seconds she stared.

"Stop that!" The hooded woman told her in a seemingly jealous tone of voice. "Herc, help me get her back to the hut for her protection."

"Back to the…? Wait a sec!" Christina demanded. "Where am I?"

"You've seen _Star Wars_, right?" The hooded woman inquired, to which Christina gave a nod in reply. "Then welcome to it."

She gestured to the twin suns, which just then reminded Christina of the ones on Luke Skywalker's home planet Tatooine.

* * *

><p>Christina and her two rescuers arrived in a hut at the southwestern edge of the desert a few short moments later. Entering the dwelling, she noticed how it looked as if it had not been in use for years.<p>

"Did the fella just give up on hiring a housekeeper?" She jested, and Hercules supplied only a slight chuckle in response.

"The man who once lived here has been dead for quite some time." The hooded woman clarified in a rather somber voice that instantly killed the mood Christina livened up with her innocent joke.

After maintaining a hidden identity for close to two hours since their encounter, Christina watched as the woman finally removed her hood, exposing long, flowing locks of brown hair. She also removed her googles, revealing a pair of piercing pale blue eyes.

Noticing the woman's face for the first time, Christina saw how strikingly beautiful she was with defined cheekbones and eyebrows that complimented her amazing features. Although pale in skin tone, there was enough color to bring out her peach-blossomed lips.

"I never caught your name, Miss…?"

"My name's Adrienne. But you knew me by another once."

Christina was visibly confused by her claim. "Uh…no. I've never met you once in my entire life. Though you _do_ look familiar – like 'been on film and television' familiar."

"We _have_ met before, Chris."

Christina froze in shock. "Only my husband ever calls me 'Chris.'"

Adrienne smirked. "First day we met, I was going through the most horrible breakup ever – made me think I would never fall in love ever again. I had been working at the theater that night when you came in, asking for an interview with Kermit the Frog. He wasn't there that night – no one was but me – then you…"

"Wait." Christina held up a shaky hand in protest after the strongly accurate recollection of the night she first met her husband. She moved in closely to Adrienne, examining her face from the defined cheekbones to the pale blue eyes that she stopped upon. Her lips quivering, she muttered, "Sean?"

Adrienne warmly smiled. She gazed down at Christina's baby bump and placed a hand over it, feeling the living miracle squirming inside. "My little girl's almost ready," she whispered. Her demeanor shifted to that somber mood again, her smile fading immediately. "How did you get here, Christina?" She made her inquiry without a single hint of emotion, not missing a beat.

Still in shock of discovering _who_ she was addressing, Christina answered, "T-The details are vague, but I remember being in the theater and talking to Genevieve about what had happened to Sean…I mean, _you_."

Adrienne frowned on the name of Genevieve. "_She's_ the one who brought you here?"

"She may or may not have. Like I said, I'm not solid on the details. All I know is that I want to go home _right now_. I'm not having our baby in some galaxy far, far away!"

Adrienne looked away from her, clearly distraught. "I'm not even sure there will _be_ a home anymore… not after what the Empire plans to do with the Sphere."

The perplexed Christina blinked in rapid motion. "I'm sorry. The _what_?"

Adrienne took a few slow breaths, prepping herself to give a long, winded explanation: "It's an invention created by Bunsen Honeydew and Beaker that's brought on several incidents that started with my mother being biologically influenced in some way by the machine and gifted with powers in unlimited sorcery – powers that she unknowingly passed down to _me_."

Although it sounded totally unreal, Christina managed to make sense of it from what she discovered about Adrienne. "And one of these powers includes changing your whole physical appearance?"

"Thirteen times…so far." Adrienne confirmed.

Christina's eyes enlarged with surprise. "Thirteen? _So far_? How did this happen to you, Sean?" She reached forward and touched Adrienne's face, which felt nearly ice-cold – strange, considering how long she was out in the sweltering heat. "Is this still even _your_ skin?"

"Yes." She established, making Christina's hand retreat from the ice-cold skin, her face registering disgust. "The cells in my old body atomized – turned into white dust – and transferred across dimensions of time and space until it finally sculpted a new body out for me…that of a young Englishwoman you happen to know."

"Victoria?" Christina uttered the name in both anger and shock. "You mean _she's_ you, too?"

"My first-ever reincarnated form." Adrienne said. "Genevieve is also – she's my _final_ form."

The casual tone in which Adrienne explained all of this only mortified Christina even more.

"But that's all beside the main point, which is the Sphere that the Empire has." Adrienne stated. "It's traveled from realm to realm as a way of ridding it from a world with inhabitants that intend to use its power for foolhardiness. And now it seems that the Galactic Empire has tapped into and tearing this galaxy apart."

"But how did _I_ get here?" Christina questioned before gesturing to Hercules, who had been sitting at a table near them and gulping down cup after cup of blue milk. "And why is _he_ here, too?"

Adrienne's hands rested on her hips as she figured things out. "Well, to answer your first question, it had to be a transit spell that Genevieve or someone else with our power placed on you. As far as Herc goes, _his_ presence here is a prime example of the Empire's tampering with the Sphere. The damned fools have no clue what they're doing with that thing, and it's affecting the fabric of space and time as we know it – worlds are starting to merge and, soon enough, every single one will break apart…all the ones that the Sphere has come in contact with."

Christina chuckled with amusement. "This whole thing is sounding more like something out of _Star Trek_ than _Star Wars_."

"If we don't do something about it, this place could very well _become_ Star Trek." The strictness in her address expressed how more serious she saw the situation than Christina.

Suddenly, Adrienne's hands went to her head, clutching it in pain. She doubled over, attracting the concerns of Christina and Hercules.

"What's wrong?" The Greek god asked her.

"The time stream is catching up with me." Adrienne hoarsely informed. "I knew better than to jump ahead of the timeline to a point where I'm not supposed to exist in. By this period, I've died – reincarnated into my next form – and my body is reminding me of that right now, telling me to get my sorry butt back to my own time."

"Is there anything we can do to help you?" Hercules asked, visibly shaken by the state of his companion.

Adrienne shook her head. "You can't do anything for the version of me here and now, but you _can_ do something for the one that still exists before all the insanity has plagued the galaxy. You both have to go to my past and help me stop the Empire from making the single greatest mistake of their lives."

"And how do you expect a pregnant woman and a Greek god to help stop an entire evil empire?" Christina mockingly queried.

A weak smile emerged from Adrienne's heavily trembling face. "I've always had faith in you, hon. There's never been one second in the times we once shared together that I stopped believing in you."

Fighting through the pain, she stood straight up and delivered a gentle kiss on the forehead of Christina. It was a gesture that had been accompanied by a bright flash of light filling the entire hut.

Once the light dispersed, all three of the hut's inhabitants had vanished.


	5. Chapter Four

**Chapter Four: Same Spirit, Tamer Heart**

That kiss. It certainly felt like Sean's, regardless of the lips that touched her skin coming from Adrienne. It was one _powerful_ kiss. Sent her body tingling all over. It even resonated through the child in her womb, kicking something fierce in reaction.

Christina had her eyes shut through the entire experience. Once she opened them again, she had anticipated to see the beautiful face of her husband's reincarnated form. Unfortunately, she was welcomed by the total opposite: a bizarre, bald-headed, grey-black-skinned creature with round black eyes, tusks, and dark brown fur. It gazed right back at her with those round eyes that she reflected off of.

She shrieked at the sight of the alien, falling back into a pair of muscular (and familiar) arms. Looking up to see the identity of her catcher, she was relieved to discover that it was Hercules. She turned away from him and glanced about their surroundings. No longer did they stand inside of the hut on Tatooine. They were on an entirely different planet – one filled with tons of skyscrapers that reached beyond the heavens and flying vehicles that soared back and forth in lane upon lane of traffic – standing upon a walkway with dozens of passing pedestrians of a variety of alien species.

Christina had also seen this planet before, but only in the _Star Wars_ prequels that she watched with Sean. If her memory was correct, it was known as Coruscant.

"He…_she_ sent us to _another_ planet?" She bellowed in frustration. "I thought she was sending us to another time!"

Hercules scratched his head, seeming just as confused. "I think we are."

"How can you tell?"

"Well…" His baby-blue eyes searched around for a visible clue; unfortunately, there were not any available. "Yeah, I've got nothing."

Christina groaned. Her feet began to ache from all the standing she had done in the last few minutes.

Hercules snapped his fingers in realization. "Wait. I know. Let's look for the _other_ Adrienne. The one she sent us back through time for."

"Do you realize how ridiculous of a plan that is?" Christina gestured to the new alien atmosphere encompassing them. "Look at where we are. This futuristic city world is too big of a place to search for _one_ woman."

Hercules gave a hopeful smile. "It can't be so hard to find someone with such a distinctive appearance like hers. Not too many people with those intimidating eyes."

Christina snickered; it was the first moment she was able to laugh during such a taxing, unexpected experience. "Crazy Eyes. That _needs_ to be our new nickname for her." Hercules laughed heartily with her on the thought. Once she slowed down and took a breather, she reflected more on the woman who served as the main topic of their discussion: "Still can't believe that's my husband…in the body of a _legit_ female."

"Must be pretty weird for you, huh?"

Christina smirked. "No kidding. It was insane enough dealing with the fact that he morphs back and forth between himself and this 'alter ego' that calls herself 'Natalie' – that woman who took him away from me. Genevieve and Victoria tried to explain the whole thing to me…this 'reincarnation process,' as they call it…but I didn't believe any of it 'til now. That white dust Adrienne told me about? Well, apparently, Sean inhaled some of it and accidentally screwed up the 'normal' way to reincarnate, which is why he switches back and forth. Genevieve and Victoria labeled it as an 'amalgamated reincarnation' on account of how different it is from the way _they _were born…or _reborn_." She sighed and added with a distraught chuckle, "Even as I'm telling all of this to _you_ – the _Disney_ Hercules – I feel like I've been possessed and this is all some twisted version of Hell!"

Hercules cringed over Christina's discomforting recount of these events. "Wow. I'm real sorry. Whatever happened to him?"

"I have no idea, but the thought of never finding him again scares the hell out of me. He's never gonna see his baby girl be born."

Herc saw how she was on the verge of tears from these depressing thoughts. He placed a comforting hand on her shoulder and assured her, "We'll find him. I promise you that."

Tears finally streaming from her eyes, Christina placed a hand over his. She was genuinely grateful to have such a wonderful guy, even if he was supposed to be fictional, watching over her on this outlandish expedition.

He may not be Kevin Sorbo, but I'll accept him all the same, she thought.

Loud sudden clanging noises directed their attention away from each other and to a nearby alleyway at the exact moment a tall yellow-skinned alien with big black eyes and dark orange splotches all over its skin landed atop of a large pile of steel crates that collapsed from the impact. There was no sign of a fire escape, drainpipe, or any side structure that he climbed down, meaning he jumped from the rooftop of the sixty-story complex that was dwarfed by the eighty-story one next to it.

Another figure – one wearing a cloak – had taken the same action, leaping from the same rooftop and executing an excellent somersault on the way down. This figure landed right in front of the yellow, bug-eyed alien, blocking his escape.

"P-Please! Let me go!" The alien pleaded to his hooded pursuer.

"I will release you," said the figure, who spoke in a voice that sounded to Christina and Hercules a lot like Adrienne's, only very much younger – presumably early-twenties. "But _only_ if you return what rightfully belongs to me."

Acknowledging her demand, the alien unhooked a hefty brown bag from his right hip, handing it to the young woman in the cloak.

She gently took it from him and then slightly waved her other hand across his face. "You will never steal from anyone else ever again."

"I won't ever steal from anyone ever again." The alien hypnotically repeated.

"Good." The young woman said. "Now return to your home."

Still in his hypnotic state, the alien obliged, walking away from the hooded woman in a very zombie-like manner.

The young woman turned and faced their direction. They finally discovered her identity to be truly that of Adrienne once her eyes connected with Christina's. Christina instantly recognized that piercing stare in the pale blue texture. The face was still the same, only younger and a bit fuller with less defined cheekbones and more of a complexion in the skin. The hair was shorter, close to the shoulders, and a darker shade of brown; it was more together than her older counterpart – straighter and lusher, with a single, long, and tight braid of hair dangling against the right side of her youthful face.

"It's her!" Christina exclaimed with certainty, pointing directly to the hooded woman, who flinched in surprise.

Christina and Hercules approached the young Adrienne in the alley.

Fearful of these strangers, Adrienne waved her hand again and said, "You do not know me. I am not the person you're looking..."

"Don't even try that with me, kiddo." Christina sharply remarked. "My mind is anything _but_ weak."

"We do not know you." She suddenly heard Hercules hypnotically say, clearly caught in Adrienne's mind trick. "You're not the person we're looking..." He stopped right at the point where Christina cut Adrienne off and simply stared out into thin air.

Christina snapped her fingers right in his face, bringing him out of the trance. "Hey, hey! Wake up!" Once Hercules was dealt with, she went to Adrienne and removed her hood, exposing her complete girlish appearance. "My god! You look twenty-three! Not so freaky with some color either. Your eyes are more like a kitten's than a cheetah's."

Adrienne frowned at her. "You speak of me as if you know me, stranger."

Her inability to recognize Christina surprised her. "You mean you don't know who I am?"

Adrienne shook her head. "Should I?"

"Well, yeah!" Christina defensively said. "You _should_ recognize the woman _you_ said 'yes' to!"

The young woman raised a concerned and confused eyebrow. "Yes to what?"

Seeing how much more puzzled Christina was making the young Adrienne, Hercules immediately stepped in. "Uh, maybe I can make some sense of things. You see, we were brought here from the future by you…er, an _older_ you, that is…to find you and get your help in stopping the evil Empire."

This explanation from the Greek god did not help whatsoever. It prompted Adrienne to quietly turn away from the two (insane, by her standards) individuals and move towards the other side of the alleyway.

"Wait! You have to remember who you are!" Christina pleaded. "I dunno. Maybe…maybe Master Yoda can help you to remember." It was a suggestion she made on the fly and was not even certain if it would change Adrienne's mind.

But the young woman _did_ stop and looked back to them. She looked more to Christina, sensing the hurt and abandonment in her, feelings no woman – especially an expectant one – should ever have.

The poor thing, she thought. She sounds so confused yet so certain all at once. I _must_ do something to help her. I cannot simply walk away from one in need of help, especially help from a Jedi. What Jedi would _I_ be to abandon her in her time of need?

"I will take you to my master," she decidedly told them.

* * *

><p>The High Council chamber was the most majestic room Christina had ever been enamored by. She was extra entranced by the breathtaking view of the endless cityscape of the planet through the encircling window display. Adrienne led both her and Hercules right inside and then afterward removed the hooded robe that well-hid her body the entire time they had been with her.<p>

And, going by the stunned expression Christina had once she had seen what had been hidden, it was for an excellent purpose.

Adrienne was donned in a short-sleeved, cotton-made shirt cropped near her ribcage, bearing not only her lower back and midriff but also much of her chest (only a single button kept the shirt closed but ran the risk of exposing Adrienne's _entire_ front if she did as much as take a deep breath). There was also a flower skirt parted from the right, exposing her slender, toned right leg, and a pair of brown leather boots, as well as a belt around her waist with one lightsaber hilt holstered to it.

It was certainly an outfit suited for a woman coming out of her teens and loved to live life dangerously. Christina almost envied the particular young woman that wore it, noting how much sexier it looked beside her pregnant self. Adding onto the fact that this girl was in actuality a reincarnation of her husband, Christina never felt so deprived towards another woman's clothing.

"You two wait here in the chamber while I summon Master Yoda." Adrienne instructed before making her departure. Watching her leave, Christina caught the alluring way in which Adrienne's hips swung in the tight flower skirt.

Once the young Jedi was gone, Christina let her emotions out to Hercules, the only other person present to hear what she had to say.

"I can't believe that!"

"Believe what?"

"That…_All_ of that she was wearing! She might as well be butt-naked! Aren't there clothing regulations with the Jedi? 'Don't wear shirts that expose _ninety_ percent of flesh while using the Force!'"

Hercules chuckled over Christina's overreacting. "I think she looks beautiful the way she does in this time. A lot of her outfit reminds me of Meg."

"Oh, you _would_ think like that." Christina scolded. "You men look at one pair of boobs showing through a buttonless shirt, and you go all cray-cray in a second!"

Confused by the diction in her statement, the Greek god questioned, "Boobs?"

The two guests fell silent once Adrienne returned with the legendary Jedi Master whose name was just as renowned to Christina. Seeing the little green character walk into the room, without the aid of his stick no less, Christina was taken aback to discover how strikingly young he appeared. This more youthful version of Yoda had a full head of thick brown hair and moved with spryer in his step.

"Pleasing to see outsiders in the temple, it is." He said upon his entrance – even his voice sounded young. "Only seen masters and apprentices, I have, wandering these halls."

Stunned as it began to dawn upon her that she was in the same room as the _actual_ Yoda, Christina was urged to let Hercules, someone who had zero knowledge of _Star Wars_, speak _for_ her.

Approaching the small character, Hercules greeted, "Pleasure to meet you, Master Yoda. If I may ask, what type of creature are you exactly? You remind me a bit of a guy I know – his name's Phil, short for 'Philoctetes,' and he's a satyr. Quite a grumpy one, too."

Yoda simply took one look at Hercules and then to Christina. With an amused chuckle, he stated, "Of this universe, neither of you are. Traveled from very far, you both have. For what purpose?"

Managing the strength to speak up, Christina told him, "We came looking for Sean." She gestured right to Adrienne and failed to catch her slip until Adrienne herself corrected her.

"My name is Adrienne."

"No, my apprentice. It is not." Yoda solemnly contradicted.

Surprised, Adrienne gawped right at him, her eyes blinking rapidly. "M-Master?"

"A secret, I have kept, since the day I found you on the streets. Lost and afraid, you were." Yoda disclosed. "Human, you are not. Possess much power, you do. Greater than any Jedi, which you are _not_."

Adrienne felt her legs become weak, dropping down to her knees. Christina was nearly composed to go to her, but she refrained from doing so when Yoda briefly shot her a stare that convinced her in the safety of Adrienne's constitution.

It was definitely quite a bit for the young Jedi to take in – a sickness overwhelming the pit of her stomach. At any moment, she could regurgitate, yet she refrained from it to get more answers out of her master.

"I-If I'm not a Jedi…and if I'm n-not human…what am I?"

"Powerful spirit, there resides in you. Capable of moving an entire planetary system, it is. Change your appearance, it can. Teleport between worlds and travel through time, _you_ can." The Jedi Master then added in a voice that was close to sadness, "For your power, search for another master, you must."

Tears fell from Adrienne's eyes. "So my entire life has been a lie."

"A lie, it was not. The true heart of a Jedi, you have. But the spirit of another being, you possess."

It suddenly dawned on Adrienne that this was not another of her master's lectures. "You're saying goodbye, aren't you?"

Yoda confirmed her suspicion with a gentle nod. "On a journey with these outsiders, you must go, and discover who you are."

Adrienne understood her new destiny, but it did not take away the heartache of all she was leaving behind. "This temple…this whole world…it's been the only home I've known since you first found me. I do not think I can ever survive outside there in the galaxy."

"Much confidence, I have, in your survival, Padawan. Come back, you will, and stronger, you will become."

She embraced him, her body almost eclipsing his. "I love you, Master. I will miss you _so_ much. You're the closest thing I've had to a father."

"I know, young one. I know."

* * *

><p>Sometime later, in their departure from the Jedi temple, Christina felt great pity for Adrienne leaving the only life she ever knew behind. She had no idea how she got to be this way, forgetting who and what she was and all those reincarnated lives she had lived. She also questioned how she could have lived for so long in this universe, having known Yoda in his youth, and aged in appearance by merely fifteen years.<p>

One mystery at a time, she thought upon walking out of the temple with Adrienne and Hercules.

Wiping away the last few tears she could shed and sniffling, Adrienne mustered her courage and braved herself for the new journey. "So," she said, turning to her new companions, "where is our heading? Or should I say _when_ is it?"

Christina and Hercules looked to each other, both shrugging.

"I have absolutely no idea." Christina admitted.

"Truth is, the only reason we were able to travel back and forth in time was because of you." Hercules clarified.

Adrienne sighed. "But I do not possess such a powerful feat, even if Master Yoda claims so."

"Don't Jedi have the ability to see into the future or something?" Christina reflected on her _Star Wars_ trivia once again. "Maybe you can do just that. See if you can sense where you are years from now and take us there."

The young Jedi acknowledged Christina's idea. "Certain Jedi _do_ have the gift of foresight, but only those truly in tone with the Force." She sighed and then said, "But since I'm not the Jedi I believed myself to be and something far greater instead, I can see if these untapped powers I have will enable me to take us in the right direction."

She proceeded in taking a few deep breaths – each one testing the durability of that one button keeping her shirt together – and then closed her eyes, focusing. Christina and Hercules observed her closely. At first, it just seemed like all she had done was meditate, a common pastime activity with the Jedi.

But then she reopened her eyes…

Christina and Hercules had to shield their own from the blinding ghostly white glow emitting from Adrienne's eyes, seemingly unbeknownst to Adrienne herself. Hercules and Christina exchanged a curious yet cautious glance upon observing the supernatural occurrence.

"I think it's working," the Greek legend postulated.


	6. Chapter Five

**Chapter Five: The Frozen Kingdom**

**Several Years Later**

Sitting alone in the cockpit of _Ghost_ while the starship flew through the hyperspace tunnel, Adrienne's eyes looked out in the direction of the surrounding, streaming crystal blue burrow…yet she was not looking right at _it_. Her eyes, normally carrying its signature piercing blue color, were entirely white and glowing. The world outside caught in a haze, she found herself connected elsewhere, across time and space. Something, or someone, was reaching out to her. But who or what was it?

"What in blazes are you doin' in _my_ bunk?"

Surprisingly, it took the bellowing, angry voice of Zeb to snap Adrienne out of her connection through time. A few blinks had returned her eyes to their natural color, once again staring at the window.

"Hera told me that I could bunk here." She heard Penz defend herself in the ensuing confrontation happening elsewhere on the ship.

"My ship, my decision." Hera spoke out, sounding closer to the cockpit than either Zeb or Penz were.

That seemed to have settled the debate, considering the silence that fell afterward.

However, just when Adrienne thought she would have a quiet moment to herself in the cockpit, the door leading in whooshed open. At the corner of her eye, she noticed Chrissy taking a seat in the unoccupied pilot's chair.

She majestically stared out the window, taking in the breathtaking view of the hyperspace tunnel, its bluish hue reflecting inside the cockpit. "Beautiful, isn't it? I've been used to seeing hyperspace travel in my years working for _Star Tours_. Every now and then, we – the engineers – get to work with the RX droids in test-piloting the Starspeeders, and we usually test hyperspace travel above everything else on the ship. Those suckers can go..."

"Ryder," Adrienne punitively interrupted. "I say this with all the respect in the universe, but I just don't give a damn about your work-life story. I've had a _very_ bad day, alright?"

Offended by her harsh statement, Chrissy countered, "Let me remind you that it wasn't _my_ idea to get us captured by the Imperials. If you want to blame anyone for _your_ bad day, blame yourself."

Adrienne sighed; she _was_ in the wrong for taking her inhibitions out on Chrissy. "I'm not upset about the capture. I am angry about my failure in convincing Vader to abandon the Sphere." She then dismally added, "As well as to free my master, Yen Sid."

Chrissy felt for her, even though there was no excuse for lashing out as she did. Nonetheless, she wanted to understand her dilemma. "What does this Sphere do? Why is it so important to the Empire?"

"Its properties are nothing like anything you've ever seen in this galaxy."

"Is it a weapon? Like their Death Star?"

"No, but it _can_ still be weaponized – used for purposes separate for what it was made to do. I've seen what the Empire has done with the Sphere, in the future, using it to destroy a world not from this universe."

None of it made any sense to Chrissy, especially not the part about other worlds outside the galaxy. But the genuine unease in Adrienne's conduct while discussing the matter was enough to clue Chrissy in on the magnitude of danger posed from the Empire's new discovery.

Before the two women could confer more on the topic, the cockpit door slid open again, permitting Vanessa to enter. Adrienne noticed she still had that carefree smile on her face that vexed her so much. She sat right in the colorful seat that Sabine normally occupied, hugging her legs close to her body and swaying in the chair. "What a cute little ship. Even got a cute little name," she complimented.

"Alright. I'm out of here."

Already aggravated by Vanessa's presence, Adrienne removed herself from the co-pilot's chair and departed the cockpit.

As soon as Adrienne was out of the room, Vanessa instantly made conversation with Chrissy: "So how are you enjoying yourself?"

Chrissy chuckled. Vanessa's friendly attitude was certainly a welcoming change from Adrienne's coldness. Unfortunately, there was still an issue that irritated her to no end.

"Oh, I'm having the time of my life," she answered in a witty tone of voice. "The entire crew of this ship has addressed me as 'sir' from the moment I stepped foot. And then there's the fact that I have _no_ idea where we're going."

Vanessa's smile grew. "I wouldn't fret about the whole 'sir' thing. It'll eventually pass the moment we reach to our _main_ destination."

"And has anyone told you where that is?"

Vanessa shook her head. "Nope. I've just sensed it." She playfully swiveled in her seat, letting go of her legs and sitting lotus style.

Chrissy stared at her questionably, wondering if either Adrienne or Vanessa was one-upping each other on the levels of insanity. Neither of them made any sense in what they were saying.

"Are _you_ a Jedi?"

Vanessa stopped swiveling once she heard the inquiry. "Say what?"

"Your ability to _sense_ things like the future. Isn't that something a Jedi usually does?"

The easy-going redhead giggled. "Nah. I'm the furthest thing _from_ a Jedi." This answer only confirmed to Chrissy that she _was_ just downright crazy. "But one doesn't necessarily have to have the skills of a Jedi to sense what's ahead. There are other beings out there far more foresightful…and, yes, I know that's not a _real_ word."

Her curiosity increasing, Chrissy asked with more intention, "Where is it you _think_ that we're going?"

Vanessa gently bit her lower lip, trying to contain her excitement as she answered: "A beautiful place called Fa—"

_POW!_

_Ghost_ lurched violently, nearly knocking Vanessa and Chrissy out of their seats. The lights in the cockpit flickered out, signifying that the ship's systems have shut down.

Chrissy quickly gazed out of the cockpit window. "That felt like a laser blast!"

Vanessa looked out along with her. "Don't see any TIE fighters or anything out there."

Both women soon realized that _Ghost's _system shutdown had abruptly brought it out of hyperspace. They now headed wildly and rapidly towards a planet that looked to be encased in ice and snow.

In response to the ensuing chaos, the other passengers of the starship rushed inside the cockpit, crowding it almost immediately. Once discovering the sudden dangerous situation they were blindly brought into, Hera took her place at the pilot's seat and attempted to get the ship's power back on.

"How did _Ghost _go offline all of the sudden?" She questioned in between her frantic operation.

"Clearly we've been traveling in a busted ship." Adrienne said in annoyance.

"There is nothing 'busted' about _my_ ship." Hera strongly declared.

Intense turbulence came over _Ghost_ as it burnt its way right into the ice planet's atmosphere. However, due to the harsh low temperatures, the burning from reentry promptly cooled down. This left the ship merely falling through the collection of snow clouds, obscuring the view of its passengers.

"Can't see!" Hera noted.

In that dire moment, Adrienne experienced a sensation that Kanan and Ezra collectively felt as well.

"Everyone! Find a place to strap in and hang on!" Kanan ordered.

Hera, Zeb, Sabine, and Kanan himself did just that in the cockpit, while Ezra, Adrienne, Penz, Chrissy, and Vanessa went to the back of the ship to carry out the action.

The shaking intensified as the ship grew nearer to the snowy surface of the planet. It was difficult to determine how close they were due to the vast whiteness and icy buildup over the cockpit window. Finally, without any warning or chance to brace for impact, the ship crashed, skidding over multiple massive snowbanks until slamming headfirst into one.

Other than being a bit banged up, the passengers of _Ghost_ were all safe. Due to the wall of snow that blocked against the cockpit window, it was the one area of the ship that was lost in pitch-blackness. Only the light of Kanan's lightsaber, once it was activated, provided enough illumination for the crewmates to see.

"I wonder what caused the ship to shut down." Kanan pondered.

"I checked the status while we were in hyperspace and noticed absolutely zero malfunctions." Hera noted, clearly frustrated. "Something – or someone – must've hacked into the ship's systems."

"But…that's impossible." Sabine uttered. "A ship _can't_ be hacked while in hyperspace, can it?"

"Whatever it was, it's left us stranded on this ice planet for the moment." Kanan indicated. "Hera, can you get _Ghost_ back online?"

"I can, but it may take long."

"Well, can you at least get the part of the ship that will keep us heated while buried in ten feet of snow?" The shivering Zeb pleaded.

"Can't make any promises, but I'll do what I can." Hera confirmed.

The cockpit door opened and a bright glow of orange light flowed into the room, mixing with the blue glow of Kanan's lightsaber. Adrienne entered with _her_ activated saber and Ezra at her side.

"Is everyone okay?" Ezra asked.

"We would be if we knew what icebox of a planet we've crashed on." Zeb grumbled.

"We're on Hoth." Adrienne established, surprising the crew with her knowledge of the remote planet. "I detected an anomaly here before we crashed."

Kanan found her detection to be rather unusual. "I didn't sense anything."

"Well, I _am_ the more experienced out of the two of us." Adrienne bluntly stated, drawing some ire from Kanan. "Anyways, I'm headin' out to find this thing."

"Into that ruthless climate?" Sabine reacted in shock. "Are you crazy?"

"Don't worry. It won't affect me." Adrienne assured.

"Yep. She's crazy." Zeb muttered.

"She may in fact be, but I've been a witness to worst environments she's survived through." Kanan vouched. "She'll be fine."

* * *

><p>Donned in nothing but a hooded cloak, goggles, and reddish-orange scarf that protected her face, Adrienne wandered alone across the frozen tundra of Hoth for what seemed like hours into her search. It was a struggle for her to walk against the strong winds, which caused her opened cloak to flap like a cape behind her. Beneath her googles, her eyes glowed ghostly white, using them as a scanner to comb the atmosphere of the planet for the anomaly.<p>

Her focus was suddenly distracted once she heard her name called out from a distance. She did not bother to turn at first, believing it to be a trick of the wind tickling her ears beneath the fabric of the hood and the strands of hair that did their best to shield it. But she heard it again, much clearer this time. There was another sentient being out there with her.

Turning her head to the direction of the voice, she was shocked to see Vanessa running right up to her. She wore nothing to protect herself from the cold, except for the clothes she already had on, which might as well have been summer wear. The strong winds appeared to have no effect on her at all, considering how she managed to rush right up to Adrienne without much effort.

Sliding to a halt as soon as she caught up to her, Vanessa stood beside Adrienne. The three-inch height difference between them was evident with Vanessa almost towering over her. "I volunteered to join you on your expedition," she informed.

"How in the hell are you able to jog thirty miles from the ship without the least bit of fatigue or any other effects from this blisteringly chilled climate?" Adrienne questioned with immense suspicion.

Vanessa coyly smiled. "I'm more special than anyone realizes, especially _you_."

Her response was very cryptic and strange, and it did not do anything to convince Adrienne. "You're not coming with me. Get your butt back to the ship before you freeze it off out in this frozen hellhole." She began to walk ahead of Vanessa.

"But I can be useful to you. How else are you gonna find that ice palace?"

Adrienne stopped instantaneously. She swiftly turned and faced the tall redhead again. She repeated her last two words with curiosity: "Ice palace?"

* * *

><p>Vanessa leaded the way in the direction of the peculiar bastion she spotted. It had taken her and Adrienne by nightfall to reach it. Frost built up on their clothes; in Vanessa's case, it built up in more places like her hair and eyelashes. Neither woman showed any negative effects from the increasingly freezing temperatures; their focus was entirely set on finding this ice palace.<p>

They ultimately found it just a few distances away from a snowbank, shimmering on the horizon in the snowy night atmosphere.

Removing her goggles and scarf, Adrienne's eyes connected with the structure of the palace in recognition. "Oh, no."

"What is it?" Vanessa queried.

"That's Elsa's ice castle." Adrienne identified. "I'm surprised to see that it's manifested on Hoth…even if it _does_ seem appropriate."

"This _is_ the anomaly we're looking for, right?"

Adrienne nodded. "It indeed is. Never before has a realm transferred out of the Disneyverse – not that you'd know what _that_ is." She moaned with deep, intense frustration. "This is all 'cause of the Empire's constant tampering with the Sphere. It's sprung a leak – and it's leaking right into _this_ world."

"Could this 'leak' spread all over the galaxy?"

"The Disneyverse will overtake the universe, yet both worlds will cease to be, since both cannot coexist."

"Maybe they can," stated a hopeful Vanessa.

Adrienne scoffed at her. "Like I said, you know _nothing_ about what's happening here. I've personally bore witness to the result of when one world outside the Disneyverse crosses with one inside of it. And now, there's a snow queen in that ice fortress whose life _I'm_ responsible for. So I need to reach her before something _really_ terrible happens."

She took a step down the snowbank and her foot connected with something buried beneath the snow that caused her to trip and tumble down the snowed slope, along with the object of her fall. Both of them kicked up bits of snow until they reached the foot of the slope. Vanessa caught up with her, effortlessly rushing down the hill, her feet mightily kicking away the snow to make a path for her.

As it turned out, Adrienne had tripped upon the body of a young, raven-haired woman wearing a red plaid shirt and tight grey leggings. She was covered in fragments of snow and frost, her skin incredibly blue.

"Poor thing." Vanessa whispered as she surveyed the condition of the frozen young woman. "Who is she?"

Adrienne shrugged. "Haven't a clue. Doubt she's even still alive."

Soon after Adrienne made her claim, they noticed vapor escaping from the young woman's frost-ridden mouth; it was the only evidence that she was still breathing, thus still alive.

"We have to get her to shelter." Vanessa suggested.

Adrienne let out a sigh of misery. It was enough of a hindrance having Vanessa tagging along, now she had _more_ weight to carry with this woman they have unearthed from the snow.

What else is there to slow me down, she internally conjectured.

_RAWR!_

As if it had answered her unspoken and completely rhetorical question, a loud, vicious roar erupted near the women. Adrienne and Vanessa turned to find a one-armed Wampa – one of the native creatures of Hoth – stomping right towards them, its one good arm furiously raised high.

"Run to Elsa's palace _now_! Take the girl with you!" Adrienne instructed Vanessa.

"Not letting you deal with that thing alone!" Vanessa declared.

"You will, unless _I_ kill you before _he_ does! Now _run_!"

Vanessa reluctantly did as she was told, picking the frozen young woman up from the snow and carrying her away. Meanwhile, Adrienne drew both of her lightsabers and stared down the Wampa beast.

Running faster and stronger than the winds that blew all around her, Vanessa did not miss a single step as she carried the raven-haired woman towards Elsa's palace. She could hear the confrontation between Adrienne and the Wampa creature in the distance. Both combatants roaring barbarically. It was not long before Vanessa heard a pounding sound, as if someone had been powerfully punched.

Shortly thereafter, an area near the fleeting Vanessa suddenly erupted into a white icy cloud. Vanessa stopped and looked on in surprise to see Adrienne imprinted within a snow crater. Apparently, her body soared several feet over the tundra, having received one fierce uppercut by the Wampa beast. The attack left her face scarred and bloodied with three slash marks running perpendicular across it.

Noticing Vanessa standing near her, she irately yelled, "What did I say about getting that girl and yourself to safety! Do you realize how much time you've wasted bothering over me?"

Vanessa tried to speak in her defense, only to be robbed of the chance by the Wampa still on their tail, roaring to the heavens. Climbing out of the crater, Adrienne ran with Vanessa, away from the initial direction of Elsa's palace. Instead, they ran to what they believed to be another snowbank, only to make an unexpected discovery when they tumbled over the edge and found themselves at the threshold of a cave. The two women ran straight into it.

Once inside, Vanessa watched as Adrienne channeled that unnatural half of her power again and created a wall of ice that enveloped the cave entrance and shielded them in. The Wampa approached at the second she finished, slamming its fist against the ice to break through. Unfortunately for the creature, the translucent wall was impenetrable, leaving little success in it getting through.

Safe inside the cave for the moment, Adrienne and Vanessa took a breather.

Vanessa let the body of the young woman sit against the wall. "You know, this cave won't do this poor child any favors with her already ice-cold body."

"Nag, nag, nag." Adrienne muttered before snapping her fingers, a gesture that generated a flame right from her fingertips. With her other hand, she gathered a collection of bones littering the cave, piling one atop the other, and lighted them all on fire, creating a makeshift campfire.

Vanessa quickly realized how much warmer and brighter the cavern became. Looking to the young raven-haired woman, she could see her normal complexion returning to a light caramel color.

"You are full of surprises." Vanessa admired of her companion.

"Yeah, so I've noticed." A passive Adrienne remarked.

Both women sat by the fire with the Wampa continuously pounding against the ice. They waited patiently for the creature to exhaust itself or lose interest in them. Seeming to take longer to do than expected, Vanessa decided to make conversation with Adrienne, who still bore the scars from her brief confrontation earlier.

"You should put some ice on that. I mean, you're practically surrounded by it."

Following her advice, Adrienne scooped up handfuls of snow from the ground and put them against her bruised, bloodied face. The whiteness of the snow rapidly turned crimson from the pressure she applied.

Vanessa heard crackling and popping sounds and noticed steam escaping through Adrienne's fingers. The snow melted in her grips, until all that was left were her own two hands. She finally removed them from her drenched face to reveal it completely healed of the grotesque scars.

Astonished by the act, Vanessa asked, "How does a Jedi learn such outstanding abilities?"

"I'm no Jedi. I'm a myth. That's what I am."

"Well, you're some myth to do what _you_ can do."

"And you're the one to talk – having immunity to the Hoth climate and the way you move through a foot of snow like it's not even there."

Vanessa bashfully smiled. "Oh, I'm just…"

"If you say 'special' again, I swear I'm gonna bring in the Bumble." Adrienne threatened, gesturing to the Wampa. "Tell me the truth – are _you_ a Jedi?"

Vanessa busted out in hysterical laughter. "No, of course not." Her laughter subsided when she saw Adrienne fixedly staring at her with those piercing eyes. "Seriously, I'm not."

Aversely acknowledging her answer, Adrienne nodded. "Well, whatever you are, I'm glad you came to help."

Vanessa smiled from this expression of gratitude in the usually impersonal woman. It completely took her mind off of the crazed, white-furred, one-armed monster pounding on the other side of the ice wall.


	7. Chapter Six

**Chapter Six: The New World**

There were many Star Destroyers in the Imperial Navy, but none were as colossal in design as the _Executor_, a super-class Star Destroyer and Darth Vader's personal battle cruiser. It trekked through an empty sector of the galaxy with a dozen regular-class Destroyers flanking it. Aboard the warship, Vader entered his personal holoprojection chamber and used the HoloNet transceiver to make contact with the Emperor.

Kneeling upon the platform that lit once activated, it was the proper position for the Sith Lord to take as soon as the massive holographic projection of his master filled the room. "Lord Vader," he greeted in his gravelly voice.

"Master," Vader responded, slowly looking upward from his kneeling posture.

"You have made progress in your investigation." It was more of an observation or statement than an assumption or question. The Emperor was strong with the Force, and Vader knew he had sensed the information he sought to share with him before he uttered a word.

"The Sphere is a gateway to another universe." Vader informed.

A wicked smile manifested upon the face of the Emperor. "Good. The display of our might is no longer limited to one galaxy. Another lies in wait of our rule. Enlist in the aid of the Inquisitor to see that our efforts are carried out."

"We have another who can do so, my master – Yve Ette. She has vast knowledge of the artifact."

"My trust in this woman is not as great as yours, Lord Vader. I have sensed a presence in her that I fear will emerge and bring failure to our plan."

"I assure you, she _can_ be trusted. Her power is unimaginable and will maintain order in this world and the new one."

The Emperor momentarily paused in deep thought. "This…new world…you have seen it yourself?"

"I have, Master."

"Then, wherever it may lie, we shall lay the full groundwork for our new _expanded_ Empire there."

* * *

><p><em><strong>The Realm of Fantasia<strong>_

Her rose-red robe was all that was in between the air and her bare skin. As comfortable as she was in her skin, she was constantly reminded that it was not entirely hers. The living cells that made up her body once belonged to a man by the name of Sean Thomas. Following his death, those cells disintegrated and dispersed through the boundaries of time and space, until they finally reconstructed into a new body – one that was female in design. Like a newborn baby, the body was unclothed, as it would be, since clothes cannot construct with the new skin. As embarrassing a rebirth as it might have been, it was natural…at least to her it was.

The process had been repeated fifteen times before the form of a fortysomething Scottish woman with strawberry blonde hair and an athletic physique had been constructed from those magical blood cells and chosen to be named "Anne-Marie." She stood there in her private quarters within Yen Sid's castle, the only place she could call home in her five thousand-year-old life as Guardian of the Disneyverse, her robe clothing her nude body.

Near her was a stone-made tub, filled with boiling, bubbling water that glowed in gold and rainbow colors. It would have appeared like the perfect bubble bath, but it was something else entirely. Anne-Marie poured a special potion she concocted herself into the water, which had turned into the hot tub it was that moment within mere seconds. She stared at it with an expression of hope.

This _has_ to work, she thought.

Slowly, she disrobed, exposing her bare, toned form to no one in particular. She was alone – more alone than she had felt after the loss of John Panda and before returning to Fantasia in this reincarnation. While disrobing, she looked out the small, squared window beside the tub, which was at perfect eye level with her, granting a majestic view of the enchanted city outside. Down below, at the steps of the castle, she could see her apprentice, Katie, conversing with another resident sorcerer. Judging from his dashingly rugged appearance and how much Katie enjoyed his company, she could assume this man was the "Brandon" character Katie discussed so much about.

It was clear how much in love the two were from the way they visibly flirted with each other. A warm smile and a chuckle came out from Anne-Marie, who found the whole relationship completely adorable. She was reminded of the romance she once had in her life as Sean Thomas with Christina. Those memories of the times they shared were all she had to keep her happy, because there was not a lot to be as far as she was concerned.

Looking away from the window and back to the tub, Anne-Marie finally went into the boiling, bubbling water, the toes from her right foot dipping in before the rest of her body. She sat there in the water with only her head above the surface and already felt her pores tingling as if she _were_ in a hot tub. She then inhaled and exhaled a few times until she ultimately took a deep breath and submerged her head into the water.

For several minutes, her entire body was kept submerged in the water, not a single appendage rising out. The water continued to boil and bubble before it intensified. Its glow became brighter and even emitted steam that fogged the room. Suddenly, a hand rose from the water; it was not that of a Caucasian female but an African American male. It intensely clenched into a fist just as the tub rocked back and forth. It finally toppled over, dumping out the water as well as a _new_ body – that of a black man with very short curly black hair.

His stark-naked body sprawled out onto the wet floor, Sean Thomas trembled and curled into a fetal position. He fought to regain his breathing; unfortunately, it was difficult for him to do so. He gasped with every attempt he made to get air into lungs that did not feel like his.

It was then that another metamorphosis occurred over him. His body type shifted from masculine to feminine, his hair grew longer, straighter, and brighter (its color changing from black to strawberry blonde – Anne-Marie's color), and his complexion lit up to a fair tone. In a matter of minutes, the form of Sean Thomas had been replaced by Anne-Marie once again, her breathing returning to normal.

Slowly and carefully getting back to her feet, she retrieved her robe and covered herself with it. In doing so, she tripped on her own feet and smacked painfully hard against the wall near the small, squared window. She found herself looking out of it again and seeing Katie with Brandon, both sharing in a passionate kiss. The sight was soothing enough to help bring ease and focus back to her body.

She glanced at her hand in disappointment. For one hopeful moment, her plan had worked. But the spell did not possess the right amount of strength to endure a lasting effect, as she had hoped.

Three separate knocks at the door took her out of her despair.

Making certain her robe was securely closed and fastened, she went to the door and permitted entry for her visitors, who turned out to be Donald's nephews – Huey, Dewey, and Louie. The boys each wore robes that corresponded to their signature colors, which Anne-Marie never stopped finding cute.

"Quack-a-rooney!" Louie was the first to exclaim as he and his brothers discovered the state of the room.

"What happened _here_?" Huey asked.

"Yeah," Dewey said, "what's all this glowing water all over the floor?"

Anne-Marie had not noticed it until the boys pointed it out. The floor glittered from the spilled tub water, beautifully illuminating the room like tiny lanterns scattered all around. She felt it necessary to be honest with the boys: "This was my attempt at controlling my ability to reincarnate. I used part of Yen Sid's masking spell to return me to my original form."

"Do you succeed?" Louie inquired with interest.

Anne-Marie solemnly answered: "Only for a few seconds." She switched her demeanor to a more uplifted spirit. "But never mind _my_ mess. What about you three? Have you found anything about Yen Sid and Mickey?"

"Ever since Yen Sid got that freaky vision from the future, nobody's seen him or Mickey around here for days." Huey stated.

"And Unca Scrooge has been walkin' around, actin' _pretty_ mad lately." Dewey added, sounding a bit intimidated.

Anne-Marie frowned. "Mad at whom?"

There came a pounding at the door that was soon followed by the furious voice of McDuck himself. "Open up, _Guardian_! I need tah have a Scott-to-Scott talk with ya!"

Aggravated enough as she was, Anne-Marie reluctantly opened the door for the cantankerous duck, who barged right in, screaming his head off. There were moments like this when Anne-Marie just saw so much of a resemblance between the old duck and his other nephew, Donald.

In his fury, Scrooge failed to notice the wet floor, which he slipped and fell upon, a comedy of error that urged his nephews to burst into laughter and Anne-Marie nearly to herself.

"Stop that laughing right this instant!" Scrooge angrily screamed to his nephews while struggling to return to his feet. "You three! Leave, so I can speak alone with the Guardian!"

The boys did as they were told, carefully rushing out of the room and saying "goodbye" to Anne-Marie on the way out. During their departure, Scrooge sniffed the air and detected the peculiar scent of fruit, particularly in his robe, drenched from the water he slipped and fell on. He directed his attention to the water that glowed across the floor, realization sinking in.

"You used the masking spell!" He bellowed.

"Scrooge, I can explain…" Anne-Marie began.

"Yen Sid strictly advised against you using that spell!"

"Well, Yen Sid isn't here!"

"And that's the reason I wanna chat with you! Yen Sid should not have gone off and gotten himself involved with the outside worlds – that's _your_ job! Why would he do something so foolish? Did he or Mickey tell you anything before they left?"

Anne-Marie shrugged. "Neither told me anything. I'm just as much in the dark as you are, Scrooge."

There came yet another knock at the door that made Anne-Marie wonder just why so many people decided to pay her a visit that day.

Scrooge's anger intensified at the interruption. "Go away! We're busy!"

"I-I'm truly sorry. I…I just need someone's help."

"Victoria?" Anne-Marie recognized the young English-accented voice as that of her very first reincarnation, having only reminisced of her earlier. Ignoring Scrooge's protests for her not to, Anne-Marie answered the door for Victoria, allowing the young Englishwoman to walk right in.

She was just as beautiful as Anne-Marie remembered her, still sporting her black, short-cropped hair and ruby-red lips. Always the one to show off the latest fashion design, she was donned in a blue sleeveless tunic with a lightweight cape draped over the arms and hit mid-thigh. As confident as the dress should have made her, there was much apprehension in her conduct.

Anne-Marie detected it right away. "Victoria, what's wrong?"

It took much for Victoria to open up to her future reincarnation. "A…An accident has happened. Genevieve and Christina…t-they were sent a-away…to another realm."

"Oh, now that's just wonderful. _More_ missin' people!" Scrooge grumbled.

After shushing the old duck, Anne-Marie returned her attention to Victoria: "How did this happen?"

"It was Natalie, this reincarnation that 'fused' with Sean Thomas at her birth." Victoria informed. "She lost control and sent them _and_ herself to God knows where."

"He does? Does _He_ know where Yen Sid and Mickey are, too?" Scrooge remarked in jest, annoying Anne-Marie even further.

Continuing to ignore the rants of the old duck, Anne-Marie focused on the details Victoria just shared with her. She lightly touched her forehead, as if she were experiencing some type of headache. "I've been having these fluctuations in my memories lately. New ones emerging from the time I spent as Adrienne. I'd have to assume these feelings are coming from that point in our timeline, which could mean Genevieve and Christina could be there…in the Star Wars universe."

"The Star Wars universe?" Victoria uttered the name in confusion – there was still much she admittedly had to learn about the worlds outside the one she was born into within the Disneyverse.

"It's where I spent my entire time living as Adrienne." Anne-Marie shared.

"Well, congratulations on solving _one_ missing case." Scrooge mockingly said. "Now if ya can just solve the _other_ one!"

Anne-Marie rolled her eyes at him. "We'll get right to searching for Yen Sid and Mickey, as soon as we've found Genevieve, Christina, and this 'Natalie.' Who knows – maybe the two problems might be solutions to each other."

With no other choice than to accept her word, Scrooge irritably grumbled on his way out of the room.

The moment he was completely out of earshot, Anne-Marie said to Victoria, "Finally, I thought he'd _never_ leave."

Victoria noted how more relaxed she appeared with McDuck no longer present. "You're hiding something from him," she deduced.

"Your intuition's correct. I had to keep ol' Scroogie from finding out the truth: Yen Sid and Mickey are in the Star Wars universe, too."

Victoria's aquamarine eyes widened. "What? Why are they there?"

"Because of Yen Sid's vision. It's the nightmare that's haunted me – or _will_ haunt you – for years."

"And what's that?"

Anne-Marie grew cold. "The destruction of Fantasia."

The revelation brought shock over Victoria; she was almost speechless but managed to bring herself to talk to know more. "H-How did…How _will_ it happen?"

"The Galactic Empire, from the Star Wars realm, gains possession of the Sphere and use it to bring their entire army to invade Fantasia. We put up resistance, which only makes them use their Death Star to blow the entire planet away, killing every living thing here – women, children…"

Ruminating over the horrifying incident that plagued her past and Victoria's future, Anne-Marie felt weak at her legs. Immediately, she rested upon a nearby wooden barstool before she could collapse from it all.

"There must be something that can be done to prevent this."

Anne-Marie negatively shook her head. "There's nothing that can be done. It's an event that will end all the same no matter what events may change or who changes them. Believe me, I've tried _many_ times, and it just creates paradox-upon-paradox. I'm sorry."

Victoria despondently sighed. "Alright. What about Genevieve and Christina? There must be something we can do for _them_ – get them out of this 'Star Wars universe,' as you call it."

"We're going to let _that_ problem solve itself. I wasn't joking when I told Scrooge how the two might be solutions to each other. In the meantime, the both of us are going to keep watch over the Disneyverse. We won't be able to save Fantasia, but we can damn sure still protect the other Disney Worlds from its fate at the hands of the Empire."


	8. Chapter Seven

**Chapter Seven: The Snowman of Hoth**

_Leave me alone! Go away! You're not my Granddaddy! You're not my Granddaddy!_

"Benji!"

Vanessa screamed out the second she snapped awake from the nightmare. Only it was not a nightmare – it was a memory. A memory that she cared not to think about. It was the reason why she was there in that galaxy far, far away. It was the reason why she spent a night in that ice-cold wampa cave, sleeping in the most awkward, stiffening position. It had taken a great effort to peel her body off the icy floor, being slow and careful to do so as not to shred any fabric off her clothes.

Adrienne and the young woman they found in the snow were still asleep, both lying in better positions than Vanessa. The advantages those shorter in stature have in closed spaces, she thought.

The tall redhead took a moment to stretch out the kinks in her stiffened body. With each joint she stretched out, there were loud pops that resonated throughout the cavern. Despite the loud sounds her body made, it nonetheless was a marvelous feeling and way to start off the day.

The makeshift fire that Adrienne started had died out during their slumber. It was made mostly for the benefit of the young lady, who appeared to have thawed out entirely either from the fire or on her own. Her resilience to Hoth's harsh climate was impressive – a little _too_ impressive. Was she even human? Or was she some type of creature that had the ability to look human while possessing a physiology adaptable to any climate? Whatever the case, Vanessa was just glad to know she lived to see the morning sunshine.

Sure enough, it shined through wall of ice that encased the entrance to prevent the wampa from entering and inevitably killing them all. However, the towering creature was nowhere to be seen on the other side of the wall, much to Vanessa's relief. With this discovery, she rushed over to Adrienne, kneeling beside her sleeping form and waking her up by gently shaking her right shoulder.

"Adrienne. Adrienne, wake up. We made it."

Responding to Vanessa's wake-up call, Adrienne's body jolted with a start, her left hand reaching for one of the lightsabers on her belt. Vanessa felt guilty for waking her out of whatever bad dream she had to evoke such a reaction, having just come out of one herself.

"What's going on?" Adrienne cautiously questioned.

Vanessa moved aside, so that she could see the unoccupied space beyond the ice wall. "Look. Big, White, and Scary is gone!"

Adrienne got up from her icy spot, peeling herself off a lot faster than Vanessa but managing to retain every fabric from her cloak, which she had slept on. There was a sound akin to that of wallpaper being peeled off that made Vanessa cringe. Once she got past it, she noticed Adrienne going to the ice wall and placing her hands on the chilling structure. Suddenly, the entire wall melted down in a matter of seconds. Vanessa was not certain how Adrienne did it, yet she still was not able to understand how she made it in the first place.

"Wait here with the girl, while I go out and make sure the coast is _really_ clear." Adrienne instructed.

Vanessa acknowledged the command with a nod. Shortly after Adrienne left the cave, Vanessa heard moaning behind her and turned to see the young woman in the oversized red plaid shirt and grey leggings starting to regain consciousness. She went to her side and instinctively placed a hand upon her forehead, checking to see if she might have developed a fever. Fortunately, she had not.

Her eyes gradually opened – a pair of sparkling green staring right at the smiling face of Vanessa.

"You alright, hon?" Vanessa asked.

Much like Adrienne and Vanessa herself did, the young olive-skinned woman's body jolted and quickly sat up, accompanied by that cringe-worthy peeling sound that was like daggers to the ears of Vanessa.

Staring all about the cave she was in, the young woman inquired in panic, "W-Where am I? How did I get here?"

"Whoa, whoa. Relax, honey. Relax." Vanessa coolly beckoned. "You're on another planet called Hoth, a big snowy place. We found you buried in the snow. You were almost frozen solid."

The young woman lightly touched her forehead. "Man. I can't remember what I did before I ended up here."

"Do you remember your name?"

"Yeah, it's Sean. No. Wait. Sorry. It's Natalie."

Vanessa frowned a little. "Why did you say 'Sean' at first?"

"It's the other side of me. The one who loaned me all of this." Natalie gestured to her frost-ridden body.

Intrigued by her response, Vanessa wished to continue the conversation, but she was interrupted by the sound of snow-crunching footsteps. She looked to the entrance and spotted Adrienne returning from her reconnaissance.

"The coast is clear." She confirmed. "No sign of that—" She stopped once she took notice in the fully-conscious Natalie. "Well, now. Look who's up. I suppose you'll have plenty to share with us on the way."

"On the way to where?" Natalie curiously asked.

* * *

><p>The three women traversed over the snowy landscape with the morning sun barreling down on them. Vanessa realized how much warmer it was on the planet during the daytime, prompted to remove her leather jacket and hang it over her shoulder. She proceeded to whistle a happy tune that, after some time, Adrienne recognized.<p>

"Are you _seriously_ whistling 'Let It Go' right now?"

Vanessa innocently smiled. "I can't help it. The thought of going to see Elsa and her palace. It's like a dream come true."

Adrienne grimaced quizzically. "How you're able to know _who_ Elsa is and _where_ that song comes from is beyond me. You're not even from this world, are you?"

"By 'this world,' you mean Hoth or…?"

"I'm talking about this whole universe." Adrienne stopped walking, encouraging Vanessa and Natalie to do the same. She stared harshly into the eyes of Vanessa. "The time for secrets is over. I wanna know who and what you really are and where it is you come from."

Vanessa shook her head empathetically. "I really wish I could, Adrienne. But you're just not ready yet."

"Ready for what?" Natalie queried.

"Oh, don't _you_ start asking questions." Adrienne demanded. "I'm still trying to figure _you_ out as well. An 'amalgamated reincarnation'?"

Natalie nodded in testimony of the story she shared earlier. "Yeah, that's right."

"You're two different people sharing one living body – you're an abomination." Adrienne scolded.

Natalie drew offense from the labeling. "Really? And how would _you_ know?"

"Because _I_ am a reincarnation of the same man whose body you fused with – at least a version of him from another timeline." Adrienne answered. "I'm a pure-blood, while you're just a pile of mismatched garbage!"

"Alright, that's enough!" Vanessa angrily exclaimed. "There's no need to be so harsh, Adrienne. If anything, I think Natalie's amalgamation is a blessing."

"A blessing, huh?" Adrienne refuted. "The man who's somewhere beneath this _shell_…" She gestured up and down at Natalie in disgust. "…he is in agony at _every_ moment she's walking in his genetically-altered flesh. How is _that_ a blessing?"

Natalie looked down, sighing in sadness. "She's right. The amalgamation is a painful one for both Sean _and _me, especially during the transformation between us. It used to happen at random, but I've learned to control it, with a little help from a guy who shares in a similar condition."

"I still don't like the idea of a reincarnated form combined with the original host. It's dangerous." Adrienne professed. "I'm amazed that you hadn't killed him."

"Hey, it's not my fault!" Natalie exclaimed in defense. "I was just a pile of dust – what else could I have done?"

"That's right. What else could she have done?" Vanessa corresponded.

Adrienne glared at the redhead, obviously annoyed by her. "Shut the hell up!"

On these words, a fire lit within Vanessa, who threw her leather jacket to the snow and walked right up to Adrienne. She stood robustly over her, almost appearing taller than she was next to the so-called Jedi, with hands resting firmly upon her hips.

"You are so rude." Vanessa said with power in her voice, the tone of which had changed dramatically. "You could use a _serious_ lesson in manners."

Adrienne stifled a laugh that turned into a snicker. "For real? _You_ are gonna threaten _me_? Let me remind you of how I went face-to-face with Vader back in the Death Star, while the rest of you were being saved by a group of misfits. You? You're a cupcake compared to the nightmares I've had to deal with in this godforsaken world. I will bury your butt in this snow deeper than Natalie's was before you can lay a finger on—"

_POW!_

Natalie barely caught it when it happened but, in the blink of an eye, she sure enough witnessed one of the fiercest right hooks Vanessa delivered across the face of Adrienne, who limply fell face-first into the snow. After the outstanding punch, Vanessa winced in pain, rubbing her aching knuckles.

"Aw, dayum!" Natalie yelled with great amusement. "I have never seen a knockout _that_ sick before!"

"Yeah, 'sick' is right." Vanessa said, still nursing her hurt hand, which she planted into the snow for cooling. "I honestly don't take any delight in being so violent, but she had to learn a lesson in respect."

"Well, I think she definitely got her degree." Natalie noted, gazing over Adrienne's inert form as it laid face down in the snow. "She's out cold – no pun intended. We'll have to carry her the rest of the way to the palace."

Vanessa regretfully knew this for a fact. Had she thought about what her action against Adrienne would have meant beforehand, she would have thought twice in committing it.

A couple of bickering voices in the distance drew their attention away from the unconscious Adrienne and towards three figures emerging atop a large snowbank just a mile away. Right away, Vanessa and Natalie recognized the three as Anna (Elsa's sister), Kristoff, and Sven – more characters from the _Frozen_ realm that managed to find their way into Hoth.

Vanessa smiled at the scene. "Natalie…our worries are over."

* * *

><p>It helped that everyone was heading in the same direction to convince Anna and Kristoff to allow Vanessa and Natalie to join their party. The still-unconscious Adrienne was drooped over the back of Sven while the others continued to trek across the frozen tundra on foot. Anna made good conversation with Vanessa, finding a bit of a kindred spirit in the tall redhead, ultimately discovering where she, Kristoff, and Sven were.<p>

"Hoth?" She questioningly uttered the name with some emphasis on the last syllable. "It's certainly not anyplace I've ever heard of. Must be a long way from Arendelle."

"I know the mountains like the back of my hand. I don't get how we could've gotten this lost." Kristoff said. "How far off-course are we?"

Vanessa coyly smirked. "Far…far away."

"You said my sister and this palace she made for herself with her new 'powers' are near." Anna said in reference to information Vanessa shared earlier. "That can only mean we're still well-enough close to Arendelle and not as far as you had us to believe."

Vanessa sighed, feeling ashamed for being unable to let Anna, Kristoff, and Sven in on the truth of their presence there. She knew if she _did_ tell them, they would not have understood or thought she was crazy.

"Just…trust me." Vanessa pleaded. "Everything will make sense after we've rescued Elsa."

"Rescue?" Anna noted the usage of the term, growing concerned. "Rescue Elsa from what?"

Real smooth, Vanessa thought to herself.

She made a move to cover her blunder until the opportunity was taken from her by a sudden monstrous roar that echoed the heavens.

Anna unknowingly threw herself to Kristoff in reaction to the sound. "W-W-What was t-that?"

"Sounds like a…bear, maybe?" Kristoff presumed.

The group journeyed up a snowbank that was nearest to the heavy sound, keeping their bodies down low once they reached the top. The distant sight they were met with alarmed them all: an enormous icy snowman engaged in battle with four quadrupedal Imperial walkers, better known as an All-Terrain Armored Transport ("AT-AT") walkers. They were designed for the dual purpose of crushing and demoralizing enemy forces, including monstrous snowmen.

The one they did battle with put up a great fight, hurling giant snowballs at them but causing no damage whatsoever to their outer shells. It then fired massive ice shards from its fingertips, which did only minimal damage. Having enough of the ridiculous conflict, the pilots of the four Imperial walkers brought it to a devastating end by unleashing a barrage of laser fire upon the enormous snowman, turning it into nothing more than a pile of melted snow and ice.

Vanessa mourned the creature's demise. "That poor thing didn't deserve this."

"Are you kidding?" Kristoff uttered. "Those giant metal elephants – or whatever they are – just did us a _huge_ favor by killing that monster."

"Don't be so quick to judge." Vanessa told him. "He was only doing what he was made to do and protect Elsa."

Anna gawked at her in surprise. "You mean…my sister made _that_?"

"She sure did." Vanessa confirmed. "And there's another out there somewhere."

"There are _more_?" A terrified Kristoff reacted.

"Not all are vicious monsters." Vanessa informed. "There's one who's really nice, cute, and loves warm hugs."

"I'd _love_ to meet someone like that!"

All heads turned at the sound of the voice that spoke outside their party. Directly behind them stood a three-foot-tall typical snowman with three black stones, stick arms, three twigs as "hair," and buck teeth. At first it seemed rather ordinary, until it blinked, waved its left stick arm, and _said_, "Hi."

Vanessa, Natalie, Anna, and Kristoff all gasped, albeit in two different ways. Whereas Vanessa and Natalie were overjoyed to see the familiar living snowman, Anna and Kristoff were startled by him.

"Wow. You're creepy." Kristoff said of the snow-made being.

Vanessa and Natalie approached him, and Vanessa went as far as shaking his right stick arm. "It is _such_ an honor to meet you."

"It is? Wow! I've never had someone honored to meet me!" The snowman joyously remarked. "I'm so honorable, and I don't even know why!"

Vanessa and Natalie both laughed.

Natalie soon noticed one particular trait about the snowman that was missing. "Oh, wait. Hold up a sec. Ya gonna need a lil' somethin', buddy." She went to Kristoff's sack of items to retrieve a carrot that she used to stick into the snowman's lively head.

Staring over his new "nose," the snowman grew ecstatic. "I…_love it_! I'm so perfect now!"

"You sure are, Olaf." Vanessa said with a smile.

Anna heard the name and frowned with familiarity. "Olaf?"

"Excuse me, but how is it that you both know the freaky, living snowman?" Kristoff questioned to Vanessa and Natalie.

"I was gonna ask the _exact_ same question. How crazy is that?" Olaf told Kristoff. "Are you some type of psycho?"

"Psychic." Vanessa whispered.

"Are you some type of psychic?" Olaf reiterated.

Anna's face lit with recognition. "Olaf! That's right."

Olaf nodded. "Yeah, it is. And now that you all know me so well, you can tell me what your names are."

"I'm Vanessa and these two young ladies are Natalie and Anna."

"Uh-huh. And who's the funky-looking donkey over there?" Olaf asked.

"That's Sven." Natalie answered.

Olaf nodded before looking towards Sven. "And who's the reindeer?"

Vanessa couldn't hold in her laughter. Having Olaf around was just the right amount of levity she needed after the morning she had.

"Olaf," Anna addressed, "did Elsa build you?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"Do you know where she is?"

"Yeah. Why?"

"Do you think you can show us the way?"

"Yeah. Why?"

During the interrogation, Kristoff curiously took one of Olaf's stick arms off the living snowman's body, analyzing it closely. It felt like a regular stick but bended like an actual human arm. "How does this work?" Suddenly, the stick turned alive and slapped him in the face while it was still in his grasp. "Ow!"

"Stop it, Sven!" Olaf snatched his arm away from Kristoff, placing it back onto his body. "Tryin' to focus here." He then brought his attention back to Anna and said without missing a beat, "Yeah. Why?"

"I'll tell you why." Kristoff said. "We need Elsa to bring back summer."

"Summer?" The snowman's large eyes grew even larger. "Oh! I don't know why but I've always _loved_ the idea of summer and sun and all that's _hot_."

"Really? I'm guessing you don't have much experience with _heat_?" Kristoff asked with amusement.

"Nope." The ill-informed Olaf responded. "But sometimes I like to close my eyes and imagine what it'd be like when summer does co—"

"Sorry, Olaf." Natalie politely interrupted. "I know you've got this sudden urge to go into song about how much you love summer, but I'm afraid we haven't got the time right now."

"Oh, no problem. I think I'll just wait 'til the moment Elsa brings it back." The snowman then began to lead in the direction of the palace. "C'mon, everyone! Let's go bring back summer!"

They all followed Olaf's lead, except for Kristoff, who seemed somewhat troubled for the snowman and his impossible dream. "Somebody's gotta tell him."


End file.
